V 


JOHN   G.  WILLIAMS. 


THE  ADVENTURES 


OF 


A  Seventeen-Year-Old  Lad 


Fortunes  He  Might  Have  Won. 


John  G.  Williams., 


BOSTON  : 

Printed  for  the  Author  by  The  Collins  Press. 
1894. 


W7-2/ 


COPYRIGHT,   1894, 
BY  JOHN  G.  WILLIAMS. 


"7    I 


TO    ALL 


Countrymen 


WHO  HAVE  FELT  THE  LONGING  DESIRE  TO   VENTURE   FORTH   INTO  THE 
WORLD'S  WILD  PLACES,  AND  WHOSE  HEARTS  ARE  THRILLED  WITH  IN 
TEREST    AT    THE    NARRATION    OF    ADVENTUROUS    EXPLOITS;     TO 
ALL  THOSE  WHOSE  COURSING  BLOOD  IMPELS  THEM  EVER 
ONWARD,    BY    PATHS    TRODDEN    OR    BY    WAYS 
UNKNOWN,  —  TO    SUCH,  AND  TO  ALL 
BRAVE  SPIRITS,  BOTH  OLD 
'AND    YOUNG, 

THIS  WORK  IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 

BY   THE 

Butbon 


PREFACE. 


THE  "  Adventures  of  a  Seventeen-Year-Old  Lad"  is  the 
story  of  the  experience  of  a  young  man,  who  spent  the 
best  seventeen  years  of  his  life  in  beating  the  bush, 
while  others  caught  the  bird.  The  first  chapters  relate 
the  first  seven  years'  experience  as  a  sailor  on  board  a 
whaler,  and  adventures  while  travelling  in  foreign  lands 
and  dwelling  with  cannibals  and  other  savages.  The 
later  chapters  contain  the  gold-mining  experience  of 
the  author  in  California,  Australia,  and  British  Columbia, 
commencing  in  the  early  days  of  1849  and  continuing 
until  1858.  The  work  contains  several  illustrations, 
showing  scenes  of  interest,  and  some  of  the  dangerous 
positions  the  author  was  placed  in. 

The  story  has  been  written  from  memory  forty  years 
after  the  events  narrated  took  place;  and  in  carefully 
reviewing  the  stirring  experience  of  the  youth,  the 
author  has  seemed  to  live  the  life  of  his  early  days  over 
again,  and  this  fact  has  caused  him  to  realize  the  impor 
tance  of  an  unexaggerated  tale  of  the  times  described 
and  scenes  visited. 

It  has  been  the  intent  to  state  facts  as  they  happened  ; 
and  although  some  digressions  have  occurred,  they  have 
only  been  when  apparently  of  interest  as  of  similar  char 
acter  to  events  passed  through,  and  the  author  trusts 


VI  PREFACE. 

that  all  who  may  read  his  experiences  will  find  material 
to  amply  reward  them  for  their  time  and  patience. 

While  the  events  narrated  are  but  the  adventures  and 
experiences  of  a  young  fortune  seeker,  the  pictures  are 
drawn  first  of  that  wondrous  section  of  our  globe,  which 
can  never  be  so  well  known  as  to  lose  its  romantic 
interest,  the  broad,  mystic  Pacific  Ocean.  With  its  in 
numerable  islands,  its  half-clad  races,  its  piratical  crafts, 
its  changing  mood  from  terrific  storm  to  protracted  calm, 
this  immeasurable  expanse  of  water  must  ever  excite  the 
interest  and  imagination  of  the  reader. 

The  mining  experience  of  the  author  in  California  was 
at  a  time  well  remembered  by  older  people, —  a  time 
when  the  country  was  aflame  with  excitement,  every  one 
lending  eager  attention  to  the  story  of  fortunes  being 
taken  from  the  earth  in  California.  It  was  a  time  which 
proved  a  great  history-making  period  for  the  Pacific 
slope.  To  individuals  in  "the  camps  "it  was  a  time  of 
great  efforts,  of  privations,  and  of  great  rewards.  It  was 
the  day  of  the  "  forty-niner,"  a  character  in  our  history 
who  must  ever  be  surrounded  with  romance. 

The  narrative  of  the  author's  life  in  Australia  gives  in 
sight  into  a  period  of  early  life  in  that  great  colony  still 
less  understood  in  this  country,  and  it  has  been  the 
author's  aim  to  relate  everything  in  such  simple  language 
that  the  reader  may  easily  picture  to  himself  all  scenes 
described. 

In  his  travels  the  author's  motto  was  always,  when 
applied  to  himself,  "  You  can,  if  you  will  try."  Some 
abler  pen  might  have  been  employed,  but  the  pen  of  the 
author  has  tried  to  add  some  new  pictures  of  life  as  he 
has  seen  it,  thus  spreading  knowledge  and  giving 
pleasure  to  many  readers,  and  preserving  pictures  of 
scenes  many  phases  of  which  have  passed  forever  away. 

J.  G.  W. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY    BOYHOOD LEAVING    THE    FARM THE    JOURNEY    TO 

BOSTON    ON    HORSEBACK NOVEL    SIGHTS AN    UNPAID 

HOTEL      BILL THE      JOURNEY      AFOOT ARRIVAL       IN 

BOSTON BECOMES      A      BAKER?S      BOY SHIPS     UPON    A 

WHALER      .......  I  1-33 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE     VOYAGE     OUTWARD FIRST     TRIUMPHS     IN     SEA-FARING 

LIFE HABITS     AND      OCCUPATIONS      OF     SEAMEN THE 

NATIVES    OF    THE    ISLANDS CRUISING    FOR    WHALES 

ADVENTURES  AND  PERILS  IN  THEIR  CAFFURE DESCRIP 
TION  OF  DIFFERENT  SPECIES A  PARADE  ON 

SHORE A      CHARACTER      IN      HISTORY DESERTS      THE 

WHALER      .......  34-49 

CHAPTER  III. 

FIRST  DAY  IN  THE  BUSH ADVANCES  TOWARDS  THE  SETTLE 
MENT LEARNS  BRICKMAKING  AT  THE  COLONY A  JOUR 
NEY  INLAND KANGAROO  HUNTING BECOMES  A  CAR 
PENTER STUDYING  THE  HABITS  OF  THE  NATIVES A 

MILLERITE  EVENT  WHICH  CAUSES  THE  LOSS  OF  A  SHIP 

STARTS   IN   BUSINESS POOR  RESULTS  AND  BAD   DEBTS 

BECOMES    A    LUMBERMAN PERFORMS    A   SURGICAL 

OPERATION  HOMESICKNESS  LITTLE     MONEY     FOR 

FIVE  YEARS' WORK  —  RESOLVES  TO  EMBARK  —  CHARAC 
TERISTICS  AND  ANECDOTES  OF  THE  AUSTRALIAN 
NATIVES  .......  50-96 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

SAILS  IN  THE  SHIP    "  FALCO  " SUSPECTS    THE   SHIP  BEING  IN 

UNLAWFUL  SERVICE TAKES   TO   WHALING  AGAIN DE 
SERTS    ONE    WHALER    FOR    ANOTHER TICKET-OF- LEAVE 

MEN SAILING  UNDER   HER  MAJESTY^  FLAG HELPING 

A    PRISONER    ESCAPE TRIES    WHALING    AGAIN ANEC 
DOTES     ABOUT     THE     FIJIANS BATTLE     BETWEEN     THE 

NATIVES THE      BANYAN-TREE AGAIN     DESERTS    SHIP 

AND     TRAMPS     ACROSS     COUNTRY THE     DISCOVERY    OF 

GOLD    IN   AUSTRALIA SAILS   FOR  ENGLAND DOUBLING 

CAPE    HORN' — ARRIVES    IN    LONDON SIGHTS    THEN    TO 

BE  SEEN EMBARKS  FOR  NEW  YORK       .  .        97-147 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  ARRIVAL  IN  AMERICA PREVENTS  A  COLLISION  BY  DIS 
OBEYING  ORDERS ONCE  .  MORE  ESCAPES  FROM  SHIP 
BOARD ON  SHORE  IN  NEW  YORK  AND  PENNILESS 

ENLISTS     IN     THE    NAVY,    BUT   SOON    REPENTS     DOING   SO 

A  VISIT    FROM    A    BROTHER SMALLPOX    BREAKS    OUT 

ON    THE    SHIP FEIGNS    SICKNESS    TO   ESCAPE IN   THE 

HOSPITAL TAKES       LEAVE      WITHOUT      AWAITING      DIS 
CHARGE WORKS     HIS    WAY    ON     THE     TRIP    TO    BOSTON 

HOME    AGAIN    AMONG    FRIENDS  .  .      148-173 

CHAPTER  VI. 

STARTS  FROM  BOSTON  FOR  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  CALIFORNIA 

ONE    DOLLAR    A    MONTH    AND    FOUND SAVES    THE    SHIP 

FROM    THE    BREAKERS FRISCO     IN  THE    EARLY    DAYS  OF 

'49 BECOMES     A     GOLD     HUNTER ILL  LUCK     IN    FRE 
QUENTLY    JUST    MISSING     GREAT     FINDS QUESTIONABLE 

METHODS  OF  PROFIT  MAKING  BY  EARLY  TRADERS MEET 
ING  WITH  OLD  ACQUAINTANCES     IN     THE    GOLD  FIELDS 

LARGE  TREES STRIKING  IT  RICH DEALING  OUT  CARDS 

FOR  OWNERSHIP  OF  A  MINE  .  .  .  .1  74-206 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  VII. 

ANECDOTES    ABOUT     MINERS     AND     MINING TURNS     BRIDGE- 
BUILDER A  GAMBLER    WORSTED    AT    HIS    OWN  GAME 

MEETING  WITH  WAH-KEEN,  THE  NOTORIOUS  MEXICAN  OUT 
LAW,  AND  THREE-FINGERED  JACK STARTS  FOR  FRISCO 

SAILS  FOR  AUSTRALIA STOPS  AT    A   VOLCANIC  ISLAND 

A  PARLEY  WITH  THE  ISLANDERS  —  AN  ISLAND  VISITED 
AND  DEPOPULATED  BY  SMALLPOX ARRIVAL  IN  AUSTRA 
LIA BENDAGO  AND  THE  GOLD  MINERS  OF  AUSTRALIA 

STRIKING  RICH  DIGGINGS THE    MINERS'  TAX   AGITATION 

STARTS    FOR    DONKEY  WOMAN'S    GULLY LOST  IN  THE 

FOREST WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY  OF  WATER  WITH  WHICH 

TO    QUENCH  THIRST       .....      207-234 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ARRIVAL    AT    DONKEY   WOMAN'S    GULLY RICH     DIGGINGS 

A  VISIT  FROM  BUSHRANGERS A  LAZY  PARTNER WHILE 

GETTING    GOLD    PLENTEOUSLY,  YET   MISSES    MANY   GREAT 

OPPORTUNITIES BECOMES    DISGUSTED   AND    QUITS    THE 

CAMP CONDITIONS     IN    CALIFORNIAN    AND    AUSTRALIAN 

MINING     CAMPS     COMPARED GOES    ON     A     WILD-GOOSE 

CHASE  FOR  GOLD  TO    CALLAO RETURNS    TO    BOSTON  

AGAIN     EMBARKS     FOR     THE      GOLDEN      GATE      OF    CALI 
FORNIA        .......      235-249 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TAKES  PASSAGE  FOR  CALIFORNIA  WITH  BROTHER  JIM SEA 
SICKNESS INFATUATION  WITH  FAIR  VOYAGERS VARY 
ING  PASSIONS  CAUSED  BY  LOVE  AND  JEALOUSY POLLY, 

FRANCES,  AND  MARY  JANE ARRIVAL    AT  SAN    FRANCISCO 

FINAL  LEAVETAKINGS  AND  DISILLUSIONS        .      250-279 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

LEAVES  FRISCO  FOR  THE  GOLD  MINES CARSON  CREEK  MIN 
ING  CAMP THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE  OF  CALI 
FORNIA  AND  THEIR  METHODS VARYING  FORTUNES  AT 

MINING TRIES  NEW  MINING  CAMPS    IN    BRITISH  COLUM 
BIA TURNS     TRADER CONCILIATING    THE     INDIANS 

WINTERING  IN    THE  MOUNTAINS STARVING    AND  NAKED 

INDIANS ON    SHORT    RATIONS PLENTY    OF     FOOD    FOR 

ONE  MEAL  AT  LAST THREE  UNSUCCESSFUL  ATTEMPTS  TO 

FIND  THE  GREAT    SOURCE    OF   THE    RIVER    GOLD GREAT 

AMOUNT     OF     GOLD    AFTERWARDS    FOUND    AT   SOURCE    OF 

RIVER DISCONTENT    LEADS    TO    RETURN    TO    BOSTON 

FINALLY    SETTLES     DOWN     TO    LIVE    IN     CHARLESTOWN 

PLACER  MINING RETROSPECT CONCLUSION,     280-308 


The  Adventures  of  a  Seventeen-Year-old  Lad. 


CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY    BOYHOOD LEAVING    THE   FARM THE  JOURNEY    TO 

BOSTON  ON    HORSEBACK NOVEL     SIGHTS AN     UNPAID 

HOTEL  BILL THE  JOURNEY  AFOOT ARRIVAL    IN   BOS 
TON  —  BECOMES  A  BAKER'S  BOY  —  SHIPS  UPON  A  WHALER. 

IT  was  in  the  year  1841  that  I  packed  my  gripsack 
at  my  father's  house,  a  little  hamlet  in  the  backwoods 
of  Canada.  I  was  seventeen  years  old,  and  had  lived  on 
my  father's  farm  up  to  that  time.  Getting  enough  of 
farming,  chopping  wood,  clearing  land,  and  such  other 
work  as  is  connected  with  farming,  I  concluded  that  I 
did  not  like  the  business.  We  had  no  exciting  novels  or 
story  books  at  that  time  to  fill  the  young  heads  with  a 
desire  to  see  the  world,  but  I  had  three  brothers  in  Bos 
ton  ;  and  to  hear  my  father  read  their  letters  home  con 
vinced  me  that  Boston  was  the  place  for  me,  instead  of 
a  farm  in  that  wild  locality  in  Canada. 

With  the  consent  of  my  father  I  packed  my  little 
bundle,  and  started  afoot  to  seek  my  fortune.  I  had 
seen  a  bit  of  wood  that  one  of  my  brothers  had  brought 
from  Boston,  which  he  said  was  a  piece  of  a  ship  that 
had  been  around  the  world.  I  did  not  see  why  I  could 
not  go  around  the  world  the  same  way :  but  little  did  I 
think  when  leaving  home  that  spring  morning  that  before 
another  year  had  passed  over  my  young  head  I  would  be 
on  the  other  side  of  the  globe,  among  wild,  nude  savages. 

Leaving  the  farm,  I  travelled  alone  and  hopeful  until 
reaching  a  place  called  Stanstead  Plain,  on  the  line  be- 


12, 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 


ON  HORSEBACK. 


SEVENTEEN -YEAR- OLD    LAD.  13 

tween  Canada  and  Vermont.  I  had  but  little  money,  yet, 
with  the  lofty  ideas  of  youth,  I  put  up  at  a  hotel.  I  met 
a  man  there  who  was  going  to  Boston  with  a  drove  of 
horses  to  sell.  He  learned  that  I  was  on  my  way  thither, 
and  kindly  offered  me  a  chance  to  ride  one  of  his  horses, 
which  offer  was  readily  accepted. 

In  about  three  days  we  started.  I  carried  a  pillow 
case,  partly  filled  with  clothing ;  the  part  unutilized  I 
filled  with  crackers  and  cheese.  Mounted  upon  the 
horse,  I  placed  my  outfit  in  front,  where  I  could  hold  on 
to  it  with  my  hands.  I  wore  a  beaver  hat  which  was 
about  two  sizes  too  large  for  me.  I  did  not  mind 
that,  for  I  was  going  to  Boston,  and  my  mind  was  so  fully 
occupied  with  bright  anticipations  that  I  did  not  care  how 
my  dress  might  appear,  nor  the  inconvenience  of  ill- 
fitting  clothing.  Started  on  our  journey,  we  were  soon 
over  the  line  into  the  States.  One  can  imagine  the 
comical  appearance  I  made  with  a  big  white  bundle  in 
front,  and  a  beaver  hat  either  down  over  my  eyes  or 
perhaps  tilted  backward  on  my  head  at  an  angle  of 
forty-five  degrees.  When  the  horse  began  to  trot  I 
would  hold  the  hat  on  to  keep  it  from  getting  too  near 
my  nose  or  entirely  off  my  head.  After  a  day  or  two 
out  on  our  journey,  as  I  got  better  acquainted  with  my 
companions,  and  there  were  eight  or  ten  of  them,  I  dis 
covered  that  most  of  them  were  in  the  same  fix  as  my 
self,  and  were  getting  a  free  ride.  The  owner  of  the 
horses  took  this  plan  of  giving  free  rides  to  men  going 
his  way,  and  getting  his  horses  along  much  better  than 
he  otherwise  would. 

The  others  of  the  party  had  but  little  money,  like 
myself,  and  we  found  that  when  we  stopped  at  the  differ 
ent  hotels  we  were  charged  pretty  high  for  meals.  None 
of  us  wanted  to  live  on  crackers  and  cheese  through  a 
journey  which  would  last  at  least  a  week.  Bread  and 


14  THE   ADVENTURES    OY   A 

milk  were  only  ten  cents,  while  something  more  solid 
cost  from  forty  to  fifty  cents  ;  so  we  arranged  that  one 
half  of  the  party  should  call  for  bread  and  milk,  and  the 
other  half  for  meat  and  vegetables.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  all  would  be  served  on  the  same  table,  and  we 
would  help  ourselves  to  what  we  wanted.  By  that  method 
all  fared  pretty  well,  and  at  a  much  less  cost  than  we 
would  had  we  not  devised  the  scheme. 

We  arrived  at  Andover  about  a  week  later,  where  the 
owner  of  the  horses  stopped  over  in  order  to  recruit 
his  horses.  My  crackers,  cheese,  and  money  were  all 
gone,  and  I  was  unable  to  pay  my  expenses  at  the  hotel 
in  Andover,  which  was  one  night  and  two  meals. 
Learning  that  Lowell  was  only  eight  miles  away,  which  I 
thought  was  the  home  of  my  brother,  as,  in  one  letter  to 
my  father,  he  wrote  that  his  store  was  at  the  corner  of 
Lowell  and  Minot  Streets,  and  I  thought  Lowell  Street 
must  be  in  Lowell.  Leaving  my  little  sack  and  my  big 
hat  as  security  for  my  hotel  fare,  I  started  for  Lowell 
with  a  little  cap  on  my  head  which  I  happened  to  have. 
I  arrived  about  two  o'clock  p.  M.,  and  began  to  inquire  as 
soon  as  I  entered  the  city,  of  every  person  I  met,  if  they 
could  direct  me  to  Lowell  Street,  and  if  they  knew  my 
brother.  To  my  surprise,  no  one  knew  of  either.  Sick 
and  disgusted  with  hearing  everybody  say  no  to  my  in 
quiries,  I  sauntered  down  the  street,  and  saw  a  gate  open 
which  led  to  a  small  yard  of  a  cotton  factory.  I  went 
through  the  gate  and,  as  the  door  of  the  factory  was 
open,  walked  in.  Never  having  seen  a  factory,  I  was 
curious  to  look  the  place  over,  and  did  to  my  heart's 
content. 

On  the  street  again  I  determined  anew  to  find  either 
the  one  or  the  other  of  the  objects  of  which  I  was  in 
search.  I  found  myself  near  the  depot,  from  which  the 
steam  cars  left  every  few  hours  for  Boston.  I  made  some 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  15 

inquiries  about  the  trains  and  Boston.  I  was  told  by  a 
man  that  the  track  led  to  Boston,  and  to  follow  it ;  it 
would  take  me  there  ;  and  after  hearing  my  story,  he  said 
there  was  a  Lowell  Street  at  the  end  of  that  track  in 
Boston.  I  had  made  a  mistake  and  was  hunting  the 
wrong  city  for  my  friends,  but  it  was  too  late  in  the  day 
to  think  of  starting  for  Boston  afoot.  A  hotel  stood 
not  far  ahead  across  the  street.  It  was  no  use  to  think 
of  applying  there  for  anything  to  eat,  or  to  get  shelter 
for  the  night ;  yet  I  was  sadly  in  need  of  something  to 
eat,  as  I  had  eaten  nothing  since  morning.  With  a  chok 
ing  lump  in  my  throat  I  thought  of  my  father's  bounte 
ously  filled  table  ;  however,  I  silenced  the  rising  thought 
of  home,  and  braced  myself  to  face  the  music,  let  the 
tune  be  what  it  might.  I  started  down  the  street,  when 
presently  I  heard  beautiful  music.  It  seemed  to  be  in 
the  air  overhead.  I  looked  about,  but  could  see  nothing 
except  an  open  door  with  a  long  flight  of  stairs. 

Desiring  to  investigate,  I  mounted  the  stairs.  After 
passing  three  long  flights  I  stopped  to  consider  the 
propriety  of  proceeding  farther  on  my  pilgrimage  ;  and 
while  pondering  the  situation,  a  blast  of  music  came 
down  the  flight  of  stairs  above,  too  tempting  for  me  to 
hesitate  longer,  for  such  music  I  had  never  before  heard. 
At  the  top  step  a  door  stood  ajar.  From  this  door  the 
music  poured  in  waves  of  melodious  tone.  I  pushed  the 
door  open  and  walked  in.  Some  half-dozen  men  were 
blowing  into  as  many  long  crooked  brass  things.  Awe 
and  admiration  were  no  doubt  depicted  on  my  face.  All 
stopped  blowing.  One  pointed  to  the  door  and  at  the 
same  time  raised  his  foot  and  said,  "  Git."  He  meant 
business  ;  the  hint  was  very  broad.  I  did  not  wait  for 
further  tokens  of  their  pleasure  of  meeting  me,  but  re 
treated  with  speed  and  energy.  On  the  street  again  I 
looked  myself  over,  and  found  myself  none  the  worse 


1 6  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

for  my  venture,  and  congratulated  myself  to  think  that 
they  did  not  extend  their  hospitality  so  far  as  to  assist 
me  to  the  street,  as  they  seemed  inclined  to  do.  Object 
less  mentally,  I  started  for  the  factory  gate  which  was 
open  as  before.  A  man  stood  inside,  but  I  paid  no  at 
tention  to  him,  but  passed  in.  I  felt  a  grip  on  my  arm, 
and  was  pulled  back.  The  man  at  the  gate  had  me. 

"  What  do  you  want  in  here?"  said  he. 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  want  anything." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  you  get  out  of  this  quick,  or  I  will 
help  you." 

I  told  him  that  I  had  seen  all  that  I  cared  to  see, 
since  I  had  been  into  that  factory  once  before  that 
day,  and  started  up  the  street  at  a  lively  pace,  and  I 
soon  came  to  the  hotel  and  the  little  depot.  My  ex 
perience  during  the  day  troubled  me  not  a  little.  To 
know  where  I  should  put  up  for  the  night  was  a 
serious  question.  The  prospects  were  rather  slim :  I  had 
neither  friends  nor  money  ;  was  a  stranger  in  a  strange 
city  and  in  a  strange  land.  I  knew  it  would  not  do  to 
weaken  on  my  first  adventure  in  a  city.  As  I  ap 
proached  the  hotel  I  began  to  think  that  as  I  had  come 
out  without  a  scratch,  and  what  I  had  passed  through 
had  not  only  sharpened  my  appetite  but  also  a  desire  for 
further  adventure,  I  soon  made  up  my  mind  to  continue 
my  travels  whether  the  road  led  me  to  Africa  or  west  of 
Texas.  Little  thought  I  at  that  time  how  soon  the  time 
would  come  when  I  would  be  sailing  along  the  African 
coast,  and  yet  a  little  later  many  thousands  of  miles 
west  of  Texas! 

Putting  on  a  bold  face  I  made  for  the  front  door  of 
the  hotel.  I  noticed  many  coming  out  picking  their 
teeth.  I  pushed  on  up  the  steps  and  entered  the  front 
room,  which  was  the  dining-room.  Here  was  a  large 
table  running  down  the  room  with  a  few  men  sitting  at  it 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  17 

who  had  not  yet  finished  their  supper.  Looking  around 
to  see  to  whom  I  should  apply  for  supper  and  lodging,  I 
saw  a  man  behind  a  little  counter  looking  through  a 
square  hole  above  the  counter.  Thinking  he  was  the  man 
in  charge,  I  approached  him  rather  briskly,  as  if  I  had 
been  there  many  times  before,  and  spoke  to  him.  I  told 
him  that  I  wanted  supper  and  a  bed,  perhaps  breakfast 
in  the  morning. 

"Very  well,"  said  he. 

I  waited,  expecting  an  invitation  to  the  table  at  once. 
Instead  of  asking  me  to  dine,  he  said  that  they  generally 
required  their  pay  in  advance.  For  once  my  cunning 
came  to  my  rescue  in  good  time.  I  ran  my  hand  down 
into  my  pocket  as  a  man  would  if  he  expected  to  draw 
forth  a  well-filled  wallet.  I  knew  full  well  there  was 
nothing  there  but  a  chew  of  gum  that  I  found  on  the 
trees  by  the  roadside  in  Vermont.  I  pulled  my  hand  out 
empty  and  felt  in  my  other  pocket,  where  I  knew  there 
was  no  pocketbook,  yet  I  went  through  it  with  some 
expression  of  alarm  on  my  face.  Finally  I  drew  my  hand 
forth  with  the  remark  that  I  had  left  my  wallet  in  my 
trunk,  which  was  in  the  car-house,  and  further,  that  I 
intended  taking  the  cars  for  Boston  in  the  morning,  and 
thought  the  station  shut  up  for  the  night. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  the  morning  will  do  just  as  well,'^ 
pointing  to  the  table,  which  was  the  part  of  the  drama  that 
I  had  long  been  looking  for  with  hope  deferred  but  now 
realized.  I  seated  myself,  and  was  in  capital  condition 
to  do  justice  to  anything  they  might  set  before  me.  One 
dish  which  was  brought  on  was  strange  to  me.  It 
seemed  neither  fish,  flesh,  nor  fowl.  The  waiter  pushed 
it  nearer  to  me  and  told  me  to  help  myself. 

I  thanked  him  and  told  him  I  would.  Finally,  out 
of  deference  to  the  waiter,  who,  by  the  way,  was  all 
attention,  I  helped  myself  to  a  little  piece;  I  tasted  it, 


l8  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

but  did  not  like  it,  but  managed  to  get  it  down  with  an 
effort.  The  balance,  small  as  it  was,  I  desired  to  get  rid 
of  somehow,  since  I  was  afraid  that  the  waiter  might 
think  me  green  and  make  some  remarks,  and  I  was  too 
sensitive  at  that  time  to  care  to  hear  his  comment. 
I  wished  to  say  as  little  as  possible  until  I  was  out  on  the 
street  in  the  morning,  and  then  I  should  have  the  day 
before  me,  and  Boston  only  about  twenty-five  miles  ahead. 
That  bit  of  strange  food  on  my  plate  I  could  not  eat.  I 
did  not  think  it  would  poison  me,  and  to  hide  it  mashed 
it  up  with  some  potato,  and  by  that  means  got  it  out  of 
sight.  My  desire  was  to  get  from  the  table  without 
being  interviewed  by  the  waiter.  After  finishing  my 
repast  I  seated  myself  in  a  comfortable  place,  with  mind 
at  rest.  I  felt  there  would  be  no  more  difficulty 
until  morning,  and  I  had  high  hopes  of  being  the  first 
one  up  in  the  morning. 

At  about  eight  o'clock  I  went  to  the  man  at  the  pigeon 
hole  and  told  him  that  I  was  tired,  and  would  like  to  retire. 
He  called  a  waiter,  gave  him  a  candle  and  told  him  to 
show  me  to  room  No.  — ,  which  he  did,  and  after  putting 
the  candle  on  a  stand  retired.  I  began  to  investigate  my 
new  quarters,  glancing  around  the  room  with  increasing 
wonder  and  admiration  mingled  with  apprehension. 
The  man  had  surely  made  a  mistake  and  put  me  into 
a  room  that  might  well  have  been  reserved  for  the 
governor  of  the  State.  What  if  they  should  discover  the 
mistake  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  pull  me  out  by  the 
heels ! 

I  was  very  still  a  half-hour,  and  not  hearing  any  one 
approach  my  door  finally  went  to  bed  with  the  satisfac 
tion  that  the  key  was  on  my  side  of  the  door,  and  no  one 
could  enter  without  my  knowledge.  I  placed  the  candle 
and  matches  near,  that  I  might  reach  them  if  disturbed 
in  the  night,  settled  myself  back  in  bed  and  began  to 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  1 9 

study  and  ponder  over  the  beauty  of  my  room  which 
was  handsomely  painted  all  over.  The  room  was  only 
covered  with  highly  colored  wall  paper,  but  having  never 
seen  the  like  before,  it  was  then  to  me  both  novel  and 
beautiful.  Nor  had  I  ever  seen  lobster,  which  was  the 
strange  dish  at  the  table. 

I  thought  over  my  day's  experience  for  the  twentieth 
time,  yet  could  settle  on  no  definite  plan  for  the  mor 
row.  Finally  I  came  to  the  conclusion  to  trust  to  luck, 
and  soon  lost  myself  in  slumber. 

I  slept  soundly  until  daylight.  Then  arose  immedi 
ately,  as  anxious  to  get  out  of  the  place  then  as  I  was  to 
get  into  it  the  night  before.  I  did  not  wait  to  consider 
the  mode  of  my  exit,  but  trusted  to  luck  and  circum 
stances  to  help  me  out  of  the  dilemma.  At  the  dining- 
room  I  glanced  at  the  pigeonhole.  I  saw  no  one  where 
I  expected  to  see  that  fellow  waiting  for  me.  One  of 
the  servants  was  sweeping  out  the  room.  The  front 
door  was  open ;  I  sauntered  toward  it  and  looked  out, 
then  made  some  remark  about  the  weather,  and  inquired 
at  what  hour  I  could  have  breakfast.  The  servant  re 
plied  that  the  usual  hour  for  that  meal  was  seven  o'clock ; 
it  was  then  about  six.  I  told  him  that  I  guessed  that  I 
would  have  time  to  fake  a  little  walk  before  breakfast. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  he,  "  plenty  of  time." 

I  stepped  out  upon  the  street,  and  wondered  if  he 
knew  how  pleasing  his  parting  words  were  what  he 
would  think.  Going  directly  across  the  track,  I  passed 
around  to  the  back  side  of  the  depot,  which  was 
hardly  more  than  a  shed,  but  a  long  one,  the  lower 
end  of  which  was  quite  a  distance  from  the  hotel,  and 
there  I  came  out  on  to  the  track.  With  one  farewell 
look  at  the  hotel,  I  shaped  my  course  for  Boston,  with 
square  yards  and  a  stiff  breeze  behind,  under  which  I 
sailed  away  at  the  rate  of  two-forty.  I  was  not  long 


2O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

putting  several  miles  between  myself  and  my  friends  in 
Lowell,  who  no  doubt  were  at  that  time  wondering 
whether  they  had  been  accommodating  a  count  or  a 
no-account,  instead  of  a  country  clam  without  as  much 
as  a  shell,  let  alone  pearls,  to  bestow  upon  them  for 
their  amiable  hospitality.  After  travelling  eight  or  ten 
miles  toward  Boston,  I  felt  it  safe  to  slacken  speed  a 
little,  so  shortened  sail,  lashed  the  helm,  and  took 
things  a  little  easy.  I  had  time  to  review  the  past  with 
more  deliberation  than  I  had  done  before ;  and  when  I 
came  to  realize  my  duplicity  felt  guilty  enough. 

My  father  was  very  strict  with  his  boys,  teaching  them 
to  always  tell  the  truth,  and  to  be  always  faithful  and 
true  in  all  our  dealings  with  every  one.  This  was  my 
first  fall  from  grace ;  but  thinking  the  matter  over,  I 
concluded  that  no  one  in  Lowell  knew  my  name  or 
whence  I  came.  I  had  no  doubt  but  they  had  a  lively 
realization  that  some  one  had  occupied  their  best  room 
that  night,  yet  doubted  whether  or  not  they  would 
recognize  me  should  I  return  again. 

I  was  going  to  Boston.  Pushing  on  at  a  moderate 
pace,  about  ten  o'clock  I  espied  a  little  shanty  not  far 
ahead,  which  stood  back  a  few  rods  from  the  road. 
Beginning  to  feel  the  want  of  food,  I  decided  to  call  at 
that  shanty  and  ask  for  something  to  eat.  If  I  got  only 
a  crust,  I  should  appreciate  it.  I  found  the  door  open. 
A  comely  motherly  sort  of  a  woman  sat  at  the  table. 
I  bade  her  good  morning  ;  she  returned  the  compliment. 
I  told  her  that  I  was  on  my  way  to  Boston,  that  I  was 
out  of  money,  and  wanted  something  to  eat,  and  would 
be  very  thankful  if  she  would  give  me  something. 

She  said  that  she  could  give  me  some  bread  and  milk, 
and  accordingly  placed  the  food,  on  the  table,  and  re 
quested  me'to  be  seated. 

While    eating    my   breakfast,  dinner,  or    supper,  —  it 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  21 

matters  not  which,  since  I  did  not  know  where  the  next 
meal  would  come  from,  —  I  related  some  of  my  expe 
rience  in  Lowell,  just  enough  to  inform  her  that  I  was 
from  Canada  and  expected  to  find  my  brother  there,  and 
that  not  finding  him  there  was  going  to  Boston  where, 
no  doubt,  I  should  meet  him.  I  finished  my  dish  of  bread 
and  milk  and  thanked  my  hostess  for  her  kindness. 

Preparing  to  continue  my  journey,  she  requested  me 
to  stop  until  her  husband  came  home  to  dinner.  He  was 
from  Canada,  and  would  no  doubt  like  to  talk  with  me. 
I  replied  that  I  should  be  glad  to  do  so,  but  was  very 
anxious  to  reach  Boston  that  day.  I  thanked  her  again, 
bade  her  "  Good  morning  ! "  and  began  again  my  lonely 
tramp. 

I  have  given  my  first  adventure  somewhat  in  detail  to 
show  the  young,  who  have  a  desire  to  seek  a  fortune, 
what  trouble  they  may  meet  unless  they  have  a  well-filled 
wallet,  and  thereby  avoid  the  embarrassing  predicament 
I  was  placed  in  in  the  Lowell  tavern.  My  experience 
in  Lowell  proved  of  much  benefit  later  on  in  life.  It 
taught  me  to  state  my  case  truthfully  when  in  need,  and 
I  always  found  that  I  fared  better  for  so  doing.  I  formed 
my  ideas  in  this  respect  after  my  experience  with  the 
woman  who  lived  in  the  humble  shanty  beside  the  rail 
road,  remembering  the  dish  of  bread  and  milk  with 
which  she  so  kindly  served  me. 

Arriving  near  what  seemed  to  be  my  journey's  end, 
I  walked  over  what  I  thought  a  very  long  bridge,  and 
at  the  end  found  a  long  shed  with  both  sides  open.  I 
followed  the  track  along  the  side  of  the  shed,  and  at  last 
came  to  its  end.  I  was  in  Boston,  —  the  goal  for 
which  I  had  searched  was  reached  at  last.  I  stepped 
through  the  open  gate  and  out  upon  the  street.  I  saw 
a  store  door  standing  open  across  the  street,  and  began 
my  search  by  accosting  a  young  man  who,  at  that  mo- 


22  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

ment,  came  to  the  open  door.  He  eyed  me  rather 
closely.  I  suppose  it  was  my  rural  appearance  that 
attracted  his  attention. 

My  first  question  was,  if  he  knew  a  man  by  the  name 

of ,  who  kept  a  store  on  the  corner  of  Minot  and 

Lowell  Streets. 

He  pointed  to  the  sign  over  the  door,  and  asked  me  if 
that  was  his  name. 

To  my  surprise  and  joy  I  was  really  at  my  brother's 
store.  The  young  man  told  me  that  my  brother  was  out. 
but  would  soon  be  in.  I  waited  around  for  a  half-hour 
or  so,  but  he  did  not  come.  Feeling  a  bit  rested,  I 
went  out  upon  the  street. 

I  was  now  on  Blossom  Street,  where  they  were  driv 
ing  piles,  upon  which  they  were  to  build  a  brick 
block.  I  had  never  seen  anything  like  it.  The  great 
block  of  iron  hoisted  high  in  air  came  down  with  a  crash 
and  beat  the  posts  down  into  the  ground.  When  the 
piles  were  driven  so  far  down  that  I  could  reach  their  top, 
I  put  little  stones  on  them  and  watched  the  gravel  fly 
under  the  hammer. 

While  engaged  in  this  rather  reckless  sport  I  felt 
a  grip  on  my  arm. 

I  turned  around  sharply,  expecting  to  hear  the  words, 
"  What  are  you  doing  here?"  It  was  my  brother.  He 
had  returned  to  the  store  during  my  absence,  and  on 
learning  that  I  had  been  there  he  started  out  to  find  me. 
I  was  gratified  enough  to  meet  him,  and  was  contented  to 
let  the  big  hammer  do  its  work  without  me. 

I  remained  at  my  brother's  that  night,  and  learned 

through  him  that  one  of  my  uncles  lived  on Street, 

where  he  was  running  a  bakery.  The  next  morning  after 
breakfast  my  brother  went  to  the  store  and  left  me  at  the 
house  with  his  family. 

I  waited  around,  and  finally,  when  my  brother's  wife 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  23 

was  busy,  slipped  out  to  the  street  and  began  at  once 
to  inquire  where Street  was.  After  many  in 
quiries,  and  turning  of  many  corners,  I  found  myself 

on Street,  and  began  to  inquire  for  my  uncle,  and 

soon  succeeded  in  finding  him. 

My  uncle  was  unmarried  at  that  time,  and  my  aunt,  a 
maiden  lady,  kept  house  for  him.  I  had  never  seen 
either,  but  that  made  little  difference  to  me.  Finding  his 
bake  shop,  I  walked  in,  and  met  a  man  whom  I  asked  if 

Mr. was  in.     He  said  he  was  the  man.     I  then  made 

myself  known  to  him.  He  was  somewhat  surprised 
to  see  me,  since  he  supposed  me  in  Canada.  He 
did  not  appear  to  be  overjoyed,  but  somewhat  in 
different.  His  face  had  a  scowl  rather  than  a  smile. 
However,  I  was  going  to  see  it  through.  I  gave  him  to 
understand  that  I  wished  to  see  my  aunt,  so  he  showed 
me  up-stairs  to  where  she  was.  She  seemed  to  be  rather 
more  pleased  to  see  me.  I  liked  her  very  much.  She 
looked  so  much  like  my  mother  that  I  felt  myself  at 
home  at  once,  and  put  aside  all  restraint.  Spending 
half  an  hour  with  her,  I  went  down  to  the  bakery  again. 
I  had  not  been  there  long  when  who  should  come  in 
but  my  brother,  who  had  returned  to  his  house  and 
found  me  gone.  He  thought  I  might  get  lost,  so  started 
out  on  the  chase  after  me,  and  had  just  run  me  to 
earth.  He  took  me  to  his  home,  where  I  remained  for 
a  few  days,  but  never  for  any  time  out  of  sight  of  him 
or  some  of  his  family.  My  brother  and  uncle  soon 
began  making  plans  for  me. 

My  brother  had  nothing  that  I  could  do.  He  did  not 
want  me  idling  about  his  place,  for  he  was  a  man  who 
believed  in  keeping  every  one  at  work,  whether  they 
earned  much  or  little.  My  uncle  had  all  the  help  that  he 
needed,  and  did  not  care  to  take  an  apprentice.  It  was 
agreed,  however,  that  I  should  go  to  work  in  the  bake 
shop  until  something  better  offered. 


24  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

My  first  work  there  was  chopping  mince-meat.  This 
was  put  into  a  hole  dug  out  in  the  end  of  a  log  of  wood, 
which  made  a  very  nice  bowl  to  chop  in,  and  quite 
profitable  to  its  owner.  Every  time  it  was  used  it  would 
wear  down,  thereby  adding  enough  wood  to  the  mess  to 
make  an  extra  pie.  I  had  to  use  two  knives,  and  the 
hole  had  been  chopped  down  so  deep  that  I  had  to  reach 
down  considerably  to  get  at  the  meat.  The  result  was 
what  might  be  expected  with  a  novice.  I  chopped  my 
fingers  about  as  much  as  the  meat ;  in  fact  I  did 
so  much  chopping  in  the  wrong  place,  that  I  am  very 
forcibly  reminded  of  my  early  experience  at  the  block 
whenever  looking  at  my  hands  after  the  lapse  of  fifty 
years. 

My  uncle  came  to  see  how  I  was  getting  on.  When 
he  saw  my  hands,  he  wanted  to  know  what  I  had  been 
doing.  I  told  him  it  was  very  easy  to  see.  He  directed 
me  to  be  more  careful  in  the  future,  as  he  was  not  in 
the  habit  of  mixing  live  meat  with  his  mince.  Perhaps 
he  preferred  wood.  I  got  through  it  though  without 
losing  any  fingers.  After  that  my  uncle  put  another 
man  at  the  block,  for  which  I  felt  very  grateful.  I 
looked  at  the  fellow's  hands  to  see  if  he  had  any  scars, 
but  failed  to  see  any. 

The  next  work  which  my  considerate  uncle  put  before 
me  was  a  pile  of  raisins  to  pick  over.  I  had  never  seen 
so  many  together  before.  We  seldom  saw  at  my  father's 
more  than  half  a  pound  at  one  time,  as  they  were  quite 
scarce,  and  were  regarded  as  expensive  in  that  far-away 
land  where  we  lived.  I  was  always  very  fond  of  them, 
and  what  youngster  was  ever  without  a  sweet  tooth  ?  I 
thought  out  of  so  many  a  few  would  not  be  missed. 
When  I  found  a  plump  raisin,  my  hand  instinctively 
sought  my  mouth.  It  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  the  fat 
ones  were  few,  for  my  uncle  had  thrifty  notions  about 
what  he  put  into  his  mince. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  25 

He  did  not  care  to  give  me  that  work  very  often. 
However,  it  made  but  little  difference  what  he  found  for 
me  to  do  ;  when  he  came  to  figure  up,  there  was  a  short 
age  somewhere  which  he  could  not  account  for.  He 
had  a  large  number  of  customers  whom  he  used  to  visit 
daily  with  his  team ;  also  quite  a  number  on  streets  ad 
jacent  to  the  bakery,  whom  he  served  from  a  basket.  He 
set  me  serving  his  customers  with  the  basket,  perhaps  to 
locate  the  cause  of  the  shortages  of  his  accounts,  think 
ing  that  if  the  basket  customers  did  not  get  served  on  my 
route  he  would  know  where  to  look  for  his  leak.  He 
was  never  the  wiser,  however,  on  that  point,  through 
any  act  of  mine. 

My  kit  consisted  of  pies  and  cakes  ;  but  I  fed  so  boun 
tifully  on  cakes  and  broken  pies  which  I  found  in  the 
cart  on  its  return,  which  I  had  to  clean  out,  that  I  cared 
nothing  for  the  cakes,  neither  did  I  care  much  for 
the  pies.  He  sent  me  one  day  to  serve  an  old  invalid 
negress  who  lived  on  what  I  believe  was  called  Nigger 
Hill.  I  cannot  locate  the  place  now,  for  there  have  been 
many  changes  in  that  locality.  I  had  seen  but  one  col 
ored  person  before  I  came  to  Boston,  —  a  travelling  min 
strel  who  had  strayed  from  his  troupe,  and  who  finally 
got  into  that  part  of  the  country  where  I  lived.  All 
looked  alike  to  me  in  Boston,  as  I  could  see  no  differ 
ence,  except  in  size  and  dress. 

My  uncle  sent  me  around  to  that  old  lady  with  a  lot 
of  pies  and  cakes.  He  showed  me  where  to  find  her, 
and  I  started  out  with  some  misgivings.  I  had  passed 
the  alley  where  she  lived  once  before,  and  both  sides  of 
it  were  lined  with  colored  people.  I  hardly  knew  what 
my  experience  would  be  with  them.  I  had  to  go,  no 
matter  what  happened  ;  that  must  be  an  after  considera 
tion,  so  pushed  into  the  alley.  Both  sides  were  lined 
with  black  faces,  old  and  young,  male  and  female.  I 


26  THE    ADVENTURES   OF   A 

hurried  toward  where  the  old  lady  lived,  while  these  fel 
lows  began  to  guy  me  as  I  passed  along,  and  looked 
wistfully  at  the  basket.  I  divined  their  thoughts,  and 
kept  a  sharp  lookout,  knowing  that  if  anything  was  miss 
ing  at  the  end  of  my  route,  the  old  lady  would  not  pay 
for  more  than  she  received. 

My  uncle  knew  just  what  money  I  should  bring  back, 
and  if  I  did  not  bring  the  full  amount,  or  those  black  fel 
lows  stole  any  of  my  cakes,  I  doubted  if  he  would  believe 
my  story.  I  gained  the  end  of  the  alley  safely,  knocked 
gently  at  the  colored  woman's  door,  but  no  answer  came. 
I  rapped  louder,  still  no  answer.  Another  rap,  with 
greater  force,  brought  a  howl  which  appeared  from  its 
wildness  to  come  from  the  lips  of  a  lost  soul.  The 
voice  said,  — 

"Why  don't  you  beat  the  house  down  at  once  ?  " 

I  opened  the  door  and  stepped  in.  The  first  sight 
I  saw  was  about  forty  cats,  of  all  colors  and  sizes;  the 
floor  appeared  covered  with  them.  The  room  was  large, 
and  from  it  a  smaller  one  opened,  from  which  came  the 
admonition,  — 

"  Come  here,  now,  and  don't  step  on  my  cats." 

The  cats  didn't  seem  to  mind  whether  they  were  stepped 
on  or  not,  but  I  was  more  particular  than  they,  since 
I  had  received  ample  warning  from  the  little  room.  I 
entered  the  room,  and  there  the  old  lady  was  well  tucked 
up  in  bed. 

Her  face  looked  to  me  nine  times  blacker  than  any 
other  face  I  had  ever  seen,  and  with  a  scowl  on  her  face 
she  snapped  out,  — 

"  What  do  you  want  here  ?  " 

"  Mr.  sent  me  with  some  pies  and  cakes." 

"  Oh,  well !  "  said  she,  pointing  to  a  little  table  on  which 
was  a  wallet. 

She  then  told  me  to  hold  the  wallet  before  her,  then 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  27 

to  open  it  and  take  what  change  the  things  came  to,  and 
to  replace  the  wallet  on  the  table.  She  was  a  hopeless 
cripple.  I  emptied  the  basket  and  was  about  to  pick  my 
way  out  among  the  cats,  when  a  sudden  storm  of 
hail  broke  with  much  fury.  As  large  as  pigeons'  eggs, 
the  hailstones  bounded  off  the  roofs  below.  The  old 
lady  insisted  upon  my  remaining  with  her  snarling  that 
I  would  be  killed  if  I  went  out  of  the  house. 

It  was  hard  to  tell  where  the  greatest  danger  was, 
between  the  cats  and  the  storm  outside.  The  cats  had 
scented  the  food  and  began  to  gather  around  it.  I  was 
always  a  lover  of  cats  from  my  childhood.  If  anything 
troubled  me,  I  would  catch  Tabby  by  the  tail  and  drag 
her  into  the  old  cradle,  where  I  would  rock  myself  to 
sleep. 

But  at  this  particular  time,  with  the  old  lady's  cats  I 
thought  there  was  such  a  thing  as  carrying  a  good  thing 
too  far.  They  were  very  bold,  yet  I  dared  not  correct 
them.  I  was  working  myself  into  quite  a  fever,  when 
the  storm  abated  and  I  started.  With  another  warning 
ringing  in  my  ears  about  the  cats,  I  hurried  from  the 
room.  On  my  arrival  at  the  alley  I  found  that,  like 
Daniel  after  he  came  out  of  the  lions'  den,  I  had  escaped 
without  a  scratch.  But  the  end  was  not.  yet,  for  there 
was  a  dark  line  both  sides  of  the  alley  through  which 
to  make  my  exit  before  being  out  of  danger ;  and  the 
darkies,  as  I  passed  them,  chaffed  me  a  little :  but  I 
had  nothing  in  the  basket,  and  they  seemed  to  think  that 
what  was  outside  was  of  no  account  to  them.  Out  upon 
the  street  again,  I  started  at  a  lively  pace  for  my  uncle's 
shop,  nor  did  I  ever  visit  that  alley  again,  nor  have  I 
forgotten  the  place  to  this  day. 

I  was  kept  pretty  busy  on  little  odd  jobs  around  the 
shop,  but  my  liveliest  time  was  Sunday  mornings,  dealing 
out  baked  beans  and  brown  bread,  —  Boston's  favorite 


28  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

dish,  brown  bread  and  Beverly  beans,  with  a  slice  of  her 
next-door  neighbor  for  seasoning. 

On  Sundays  I  liked  to  seek  out  new  fields  for  study 
and  recreation.  My  aunt  soon  stopped  that,  for  she 
was  a  member  of  Park  Street  Church.  She  would  take 
me  by  the  hand  and  hold  it  until  we  were  inside  the 
church,  when  she  would  loosen  her  hold.  I  dared  not 
leave  her  when  inside,  but  outside  would  somehow 
get  lost  in  the  crowd  and  not  get  home  for  some  time 
after  she  had  returned. 

Finally  my  uncle  found  me  more  plague  than  profit. 
He  saw  my  brother  and  they  arranged  with  my  uncle's 
milkman  that  I  should  go  to  Squantum  to  work  on  his 
farm.  I  was  told  to  get  ready  to  go  next  morning. 
Had  I  been  consulted,  I  should  have  hesitated.  I  left 
my  father's  farm  to  avoid  farming,  and  hardly  liked  the 
idea  of  taking  up  the  work  again.  I  made  no  objections, 
however,  but  kept  up  a  lively  thinking.  I  had  no  cloth 
ing  to  speak  of.  My  brother  wrote  to  Andover  to  get 
what  I  left  there  at  the  hotel.  The  answer  came  that 
there  was  nothing  there,  and  if  anything  had  been  left 
there  it  was  either  lost  or  stolen.  I  packed  what  few 
things  I  had,  and  the  next  morning  was  ready  for  a 
drive  into  the  country.  We  arrived  at  the  farm  about 
noon.  I  was  pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the  place, 
a  nice  large  farm,  well  cultivated,  and  in  sight  of  the 
harbor,  where  I  could  see  the  vessels  sailing  along. 
There  was  also  a  fine  house,  and  what  attracted  my  atten 
tion  most  was  that  the  house  was  presided  over  by  two 
beautiful  young  ladies;  one  about  my  age.  I  felt  at 
once  I  should  be  contented  for  a  while,  and  perhaps  get 
to  like  farming  well  enough  after  all ;  but  in  a  few  days 
the  newness  was  worn  off,  and  I  wanted  to  go  back  to 
the  city  again. 

My  short  experience  on   that  farm  changed  my  mind. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  29 

I  did  not  like  farming  as  well  as  I  thought,  and  notified 
my  employer  that  I  would  not  stay  longer  on  the  farm, 
but  that  I  would  go  to  the  city  next  morning  with  the 
milk  team,  which  I  did. 

My  desire,  when  leaving  home,  was  to  devote  half  of 
my  time  to  attending  school  until  I  was  at  least  twenty- 
one.  I  had  not  so  much  schooling  when  I  left  home 
as  the  children  get  nowadays  in  the  primary  schools. 
I  would  have  worked  willingly  for  my  food  and  clothes 
could  I  have  attended  school  a  part  of  the  time,  but  no 
one  seemed  to  care  much  what  became  of  me,  so 
that  I  was  off  their  hands.  Had  my  friends  put  me  in 
school,  with  reasonable  opportunities  before  me,  it  would 
have  made  a  vast  difference  with  my  future  life. 
The  need  of  an  education  has  been  like  a  millstone  hang 
ing  to  my  neck  all  my  life.  Therefore,  let  me  say  to  the 
truant,  attend  school  faithfully,  since  there  is  no  other  time 
like  youthful  years,  when  you  have  so  many  advan 
tages,  so  many  years  in  which  to  study  and  improve  your 
mind  before  you  are  launched  on  your  own  resources. 
You  will  find  few  to  extend  a  friendly  hand,  and  unless 
you  happen  to  have  a  "nest-egg"  to  start  with,  it  will  be 
an  uphill  road  throughout  life.  If  one  has  a  good  edu 
cation,  and  push  and  vim,  one  can  soon  get  on  in 
business  which  will  bring  both  honor  and  profits. 

Without  an  education  a  man  is  at  the  mercy  of  others. 
Put  aside  those  yellow- covered  novels,  for  they  will  do 
you  no  good.  If  you  want  to  read  out  of  school,  there 
is  nothing  so  instructive,  or  that  which  will  improve  and 
elevate  the  young  mind  better  than  a  good  daily  or 
weekly  newspaper.  Select  those  papers  that  will 
teach  you  the  doings  of  men  who  are  engaged  in  all  man 
ner  of  business,  and  from  their  experience  and  practice 
you  can  learn  much  which  will  be  of  use  to  you  when 
you  are  ready  to  take  up  some  branch  of  business. 


3O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

Without  such  knowledge  you  might  lose  a  deal  of  valu 
able  time  before  deciding  what  business  to  follow. 
"To  be  forewarned  is  to  be  forearmed."  You  can  learn 
many  of  these  valuable  lessons  long  before  you  need 
to  put  them  into  practice,  and  learn  them  much  easier 
and  cheaper  in  your  young  days  than  you  can  later  in 
life.  You  are  getting  the  actual  experience  of  many  an 
old  and  wise  head  by  merely  reading  and  heeding  their 
management  of  business.  You  will  find  much  in  the 
daily  papers  concerning  commonplace,  every-day  matters 
that  will  be  of  use  to  you  later  on,  for  such  is  the  life, 
bustle,  and  business  into  which  you  must  soon  enter. 
You  should  prepare  yourself  as  well  as  you  can,  because 
you  will  have  to  take  your  chances  with  the  rest  of 
humanity  in  the  struggle  for  success,  and  you  must 
consider  what  advantage  those  old  heads  of  much  ex 
perience  have  over  you.  It  is  a  duty  you  owe  to  your 
self  to  prepare  for  the  work  that  is  yet  to  come.  Never 
put  too  much  confidence  in  men  until  you  have  tried 
them  and  found  them  trustworthy.  Never  unfold  your 
secrets  or  plans  to  others,  for  they  are  no  longer  secrets ; 
neither  are  they  yours,  but  public  property.  Weigh 
your  words.  Bear  in  mind  that  beautiful  Chinese 
proverb,  "  That  of  a  word  unspoken,  you  are  its  master ; 
when  spoken,  it  is  master  of  you."  Another  thing  that 
you  ought  to  bear  in  mind  is  this,  the  Good  Book  says, 
"  All  men  are  liars." 

When  I  arrived  in  the  city,  I  left  the  milk  wagon  be 
fore  it  reached  my  uncle's.  I  wanted  to  take  in  the  sights 
as  I  went,  so  got  out  of  the  wagon.  I  started  to  find 
a  Mr.  Brown,  who  manufactured  root  beer.  I  had  a 
brother  who  worked  at  that  place  then.  I  found  the 
place  readily,  for  everybody  seemed  to  know  where  Brown, 
the  beer  man,  lived.  I  watched  the  process  of  bottling 
beer  awhile,  took  dinner  with  my  brother,  and  finally 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  31 

left  for  my  other  brother's,  who  kept  the  store.  He  was 
surprised  to  see  me  again,  but  did  not  scold,  as  I  expected. 
I  now  became  a  sort  of  hanger-on  around  the  store. 

One  morning  I  started  out  to  seek  employment. 
About  ten  o'clock  I  found  myself  down  at  Quincy 
Market.  There  was  a  man  near  there  who  kept  a  little 
store,  by  the  name  of  James  Drake. 

No  doubt  many  Bostonians  will  recollect  Mr.  Drake  as 
well  as  I  do,  for  he  not  only  sold  dry  goods  but  green 
goods  as  well.  I  happened  to  be  just  green  enough  to 
suit  him  ;  and  he  had  a  customer  at  that  time  who  wanted 
just  such  goods,  so  he  called  me  into  his  store.  He  was 
well  posted  in  his  line  of  business,  for  it  did  not  take  him 
long  to  discover  that  I  was  very  verdant,  and  it  did  not 
take  long  for  him  to  get  my  name  on  a  ship's  articles 
for  a  three  years'  cruise  in  a  whaling  ship. 

He  told  me  that  I  could  go  on  a  three  years'  voyage 
and  come  home  with  three  or  four  hundred  dollars,  that  I 
would  have  a  fine  time  and  see  many  different  parts  of 
the  world.  That  pleased  me  much  better  than  the  fish 
part  did.  I  booked  myself  for  the  voyage.  My  early 
ideas  of  going  around  the  world  were  to  be  realized  ; 
and  they  certainly  were.  The  bark  was  to  sail  from  Dux- 
bury.  Mr.  Drake  told  me  it  would  take  some  three  days 
to  get  all  the  crew,  and  when  the  full  number  was  obtained 
we  would  all  be  sent  to  Duxbury.  If  I  desired  to  remain 
with  him  until  then,  I  could,  and  it  would  cost  me  noth 
ing.  That  suited  me,  as  I  knew  if  my  brother  discovered 
my  doings  he  would  put  a  stop  to  my  adventure,  and 
perhaps  find  another  farm  for  me.  I  had  obtained  all  the 
experience  on  farms  I  wished,  and  preferred  now  to  try 
the  sea. 

At  Drake's  my  meals  were  served  at  the  counter  in  the 
store,  and  at  night  I  slept  behind  it.  On  one  occasion 
I  saw  my  brother  near  the  store,  and  ran  inside  and  hid 
behind  the  counter. 


32  THE   ADVENTURES    OF    A 

One  morning  all  of  the  crew  then  ready  went  aboard 
a  schooner  lying  off  Long  Wharf,  which  was  to  take  us 
to  Duxbury  to  the  vessel  that  we  had  shipped  to  go  in. 
Soon  under  way,  we  headed  for  Duxbury.  That  was  my 
first  voyage  on  salt  water,  and  I  thought  it  would  be  my 
last.  I  could  neither  eat,  drink,  nor  sleep.  Usually  I 
was  blessed  with  a  good  appetite,  but  somehow  it  had  left 
me  and  taken  with  it  my  desire  for  further  adventure 
on  the  ocean  wave.  If  I  could  get  on  shore  I  would 
stay  there ;  but  alas !  I  found  that  my  fondest  hopes 
were  to  be  long  deferred. 

At  Duxbury,  instead  of  landing  as  expected,  we 
were  all  put  on  board  of  the  bark,  which  was  anchored 
some  three  miles  off  shore.  I  found  that  I  could  now 
stand  up  instead  of  getting  down  on  all  fours  as  on  the 
schooner. 

I  gained  my  balance  after  a  day  or  two,  and  could  eat 
my  regular  allowance  of  salt  beef  and  hard-tack  quite  as 
well  as  an  old  salt.  We  were  now  kept  busy  getting  the 
vessel  ready  for  sea  and  getting  supplies  on  board,  and 
in  about  three  weeks  were  ready  to  sail,  when  we  were 
all  taken  ashore  and  given  a  good  dinner.  My  long 
ing  for  the  shore  was  forgotten  by  that  time,  for  the 
vessel  at  anchor  was  quiet  and  without  motion.  I 
concluded  that  going  to  sea  was  not  so  bad,  after  all. 
My  fears  vanished.  From  the  hotel  I  wrote  to  my  brother 
that  I  was  on  shipboard,  where  I  was  going,  and  also 
who  shipped  me.  I  knew  that  he  would  not  get  the 
letter  before  the  ship  would  be  out  to  sea. 

We  went  aboard  and  soon  got  under  way  and  out 
of  the  harbor.  As  we  moved  farther  from  the  land,  and 
as  prominent  objects  dropped  from  sight,  the  water 
began  to  get  rough.  The  situation  began  to  look  more 
serious.  A  fishing  boat  ran  alongside  ;  I  gazed  over  the 
rail  into  that  boat,  and  would  have  given  half  of  my 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  33 

life  could  I  have  jumped  into  her  and  gone  ashore. 
The  boat  soon  drifted  away  and  left  us  to  our  voyage.  The 
last  point  of  land  faded  away,  and  with  it  went  all  hope 
of  getting  ashore  again  for  a  long  time. 

Night  came,  and  the  captain  and  mate  chose  their 
watches.  I  was  the  last  one  chosen,  and  fell  to  the 
mate,  Mr.  Holmes.  The  captain  of  our  ship,  Rufus 
Coffin,  was  one  of  the  Nantucket  family  of  that  name. 
He  proved  the  best,  as  he  was  also  the  first,  captain  with 
whom  I  ever  sailed.  Rufus  Holmes,  of  Duxbury,  was 
also  one  of  the  best  mates  that  I  ever  found  on  ship 
board.  I  had  my  first  watch  on  deck  that  night,  and  in 
the  morning  was  soon  on  deck. 

I  scanned  the  horizon,  but  could  see  nothing  that 
I  wanted  to  see,  since  it  was  nothing  but  sea  all  around, 
here,  there,  and  everywhere.  Finally  I  made  up  my 
mind  to  face  the  music,  whatever  it  might  be  or  where  it 
might  lead  to.  There  was  no  use  in  rebelling  at  fate ; 
so  I  swallowed  my  trouble,  and  banished  from  my  mind 
all  thought  of  home  and  friends,  with  a  reservation,  how 
ever,  to  run  away  at  the  first  landing  where  white  people 
lived. 

The  experience  of  one  whaling  voyage,  in  detail,  covers 
many,  since  it  is  about  the  same  over  and  over;  therefore 
I  will  give  only  the  most  important  of  my  experiences, 
which  occurred  mostly  on  land,  in  different  ports  of  the 
world,  with  a  little  salt-water  experience  to  season  the 
story. 


34  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE     VOYAGE     OUTWARD FIRST     TRIUMPHS     IN     SEA-FARING 

LIFE HABITS     AND     OCCUPATIONS     OF      SEAMEN THE 

NATIVES     OF    THE    ISLANDS  — CRUISING    FOR   WHALES 

ADVENTURES    AND   PERILS  IN  THEIR  CAPTURE DESCRIP 
TION     OF     DIFFERENT    SPECIES A     PARADE     ON     SHORE 

A  CHARACTER  IN  HISTORY DESERTS  THE  WHALER. 

THE  first  two  weeks  out  I  was  very  seasick  and  could 
not  bear  the  sight  of  food.  The  mate  would  give  me  a 
lemon  to  suck,  which  did  me  more  good  than  anything 
else,  notwithstanding  the  lemon  juice,  I  had  to  look 
over  the  ship's  side  quite  often  to  see  how  deep  the  water 
was.  Two  weeks  of  that,  and  Richard  was  himself  again. 
I  soon  learned  the  ropes  and  how  to  steer  the  vessel,  yet 
I  was  the  but-end  of  every  joke,  being  the  youngest  on 
board  and  the  greenest  one.  All  the  crew  except  myself 
had  had  some  experience  on  shipboard,  and  they  would 
play  their  tricks  on  me  quite  often.  I  stood  their  jokes 
without  complaint,  and  tried  to  learn  all  that  I  could  in 
order  to  lift  myself  above  a  novice,  and  to  finally  live 
down  their  jokes,  which  I  soon  did.  I  soon  was  able  to 
do  a  sailor's  duty  on  a  whaleship,  with  the  exception 
of  pulling  the  boats  after  whales.  I  was  not  strong 
enough  for  that  at  that  time,  but  a  few  months  later  they 
found  that  I  was  one  of  the  best  oarsmen  they  had  on 
board. 

After  a  few  months'  cruising  and  seeing  nothing  larger 
than  a  porpoise,  we  touched  at  Fayal,  one  of  the  Azore 
Islands,  where  we  got  a  supply  of  vegetables.  When  we 
first  sighted  the  islands  we  saw  first  the  peak  of  Pikeo, 
which  is  an  island  near  Fayal.  It  towered  far  above  the 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  35 

clouds.  The  reason  that  it  looks  so  lofty  is  that  it  runs 
so  steeply  up  from  the  water. 

I  have  seen  many  mountains  much  loftier  than  the 
peak  of  Pikeo  in  Colorado,  some  that  were  sixteen 
thousand  feet  above  sea  level,  yet  only  five  or  six  thou 
sand  feet  above  the  plains  below  them.  The  impression 
of  great  height  was  lost  in  the  foothills  which  lay  be 
tween  them  and  the  sea.  Place  one  of  those  lofty  Colo 
rado  peaks  beside  that  of  Pikeo,  and  its  crest  could 
not  be  seen  even  on  a  clear  day.  The  height  would  be 
something  like  three  miles,  while  Pikeo  is  hardly  a  mile 

high- 
Getting   our   supplies,  we  set   sail   again,  and   for   a 

month  or  two  more  saw  nothing.  We  finally  ran  for  an 
island  called  Brah-vo,  as  we  wanted  two  or  three  more 
hands  on  board.  At  that  time  I  could  take  my  turn  at 
the  masthead  to  look  out  for  whales.  I  was  at  the  for 
ward  masthead  the  day  that  we  expected  to  sight  the 
island.  I  had  never  raised  land  myself,  and  did  not  know 
how  the  first  appearance  of  land  would  look ;  however,  I 
was  told  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout.  After  a  while  I  ob 
served  a  hair-line,  which  appeared  to  run  a  little  above 
the  water.  It  would  rise  and  then]  run  down,  and  so  on, 
up  and  down,  and  finally  lose  itself  in  the  water.  It  did 
not  change  its  form,  so  it  could  not  be  a  cloud.  I  sang 
out  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  "  Land  'o." 

The  captain  wanted  to  know  where  away. 

"  Two  points  on  the  lee  bow." 

He  called  to  the  boat-steerer,  who  was  at  the  topgal 
lant  crosstrees,  to  know  if  he  could  see  the  land,  and  he 
answered  that  he  could  not. 

I  sang  out  again. 

The  captain  sent  an  old  man  up  to  where  I  was.  I 
tried  to  point  the  land  out  to  him,  but  he  could  not 
see  it. 


36  THE   ADVENTURES   OF   A 

He  went  down  and  told  the  captain  that  there  was  no 
land  in  sight,  but  I  knew  better;  so  I  sang  out  again, 
"  Land  'o."  Finally  the  captain,  finding  that  I  was  not 
to  be  choked  off,  took  his  long  glass  and  came  up  himself. 
He  could  not  see  it  either,  with  or  without  his  glass. 

After  watching  nearly  an  hour,  he  finally  caught  sight 
of  the  land  with  his  glass,  and  headed  the  ship  for  it.  A 
few  hours  later  all  hands  could  see  it.  I  felt  very  proud 
to  think  that  I  could  see  farther  with  the  naked  eye  than 
the  captain  could  with  his  glass.  We  ran  in,  and,  ship 
ping  more  hands,  soon  left  for  another  cruise. 

We  sailed  away  again  for  a  month  or  two  without  find 
ing  anything  larger  than  a  sunfish  and  a  few  flying  fish, 
which  came  on  board  and  took  passage  with  us.  They 
made  a  very  good  fry,  quite  as  good  as  trout. 

We  were  nearing  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  We  sighted 
the  cape,  where  we  saw  some  cattle  grazing  on  shore, 
but  we  did  not  land.  Not  long  after  we  put  in  at  an 
island  by  the  name  of  Trustinucuna.  There  was  but 
one  family  on  this  island,  old  Governor  Glass,  who  was 
monarch  of  all  he  surveyed.  His  subjects  were  mostly 
penguins  and  worgins.  The  latter  are  the  male  birds,  if 
birds  they  can  be  called.  They  have  feathers  on  their 
bodies,  but  nude  wings,  and  cannot  rise  from  land  or 
water.  They  use  their  wings  when  they  are  in  the  water. 
They  are  amphibious  and  live  on  fish.  We  remained 
there  about  three  hours,  and  then  sailed  away  for  Mada 
gascar.  We  had  been  living  for  several  months  on  salt 
meats.  The  captain  thought  it  time  to  freshen  up  a 
little.  Too  much  salt  meat,  without  vegetables  or  fresh 
meat,  brings  on  the  scurvy,  a  disease  which  softens 
the  flesh  and  covers  the  limbs  with  boils,  with  consider 
able  swelling.  We  ran  into  Dillago  Bay,  where  we 
found  other  whaling  ships.  We  found  plenty  of  fresh 
meat.  We  could  buy  a  whole  ox,  weighing  eight  or  nine 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  37 

hundred  pounds,  for  a  common  coffee  mug  of  powder. 
The  cattle  are  like  our  Texas  cattle,  except  that  they  have 
a  large  hump  on  their  foreshoulders,  quite  as  large  as 
that  on  the  camel.  Another  animal,  about  the  size  of  a 
three-months  old  calf,  has  its  habitat  there,  seemingly 
half  goat  and  half  calf;  the  meat  being  much  better 
than  either  mutton  or  veal.  I  have  often  wondered 
why  some  enterprising  Yankee  has  not  ere  this  shipped 
a  few  of  those  animals  to  this  country.  They  would 
undoubtedly  soon  become  acclimated  and  thrive  well 
here.  Then  we  could  have  veal  at  all  times  of  the 
year.  There  was  at  that  time,  which  was  over  forty 
years  ago,  plenty  of  turpin  there,  which,  by  the  way, 
makes  a  superior  soup.  They  are  excellent  to  take 
to  sea,  as  they  will  live  in  the  ship's  hole  three  or 
four  months  without  food  or  water,  and  appear  none 
the  leaner  for  their  long  fast.  We  wanted  water.  To 
get  it  we  would  raft  a  lot  of  casks  together,  and  tow 
them  into  the  mouth  of  the  river.  We  would  then  knock 
out  the  bungs  and  let  them  fill.  While  at  this  work  I 
learned  to  swim,  by  holding  to  a  cask  and  floating  down 
stream  with  the  current,  at  the  same  time  kicking  out 
with  my  feet.  It  afterwards  proved  very  fortunate  for 
me  that  I  did  take  that  occasion  to  learn  to  swim. 

We  got  milk  from  the  natives,  which  was  served 
to  us  in  an  eggshell,  or  rather  half  of  a  shell,  which 
made  quite  a  respectable  bowl,  and  would  hold  quite  two 
quarts.  It  was  the  eggshell  of  a  very  large  bird  which 
has  long  been  extinct. 

The  forest  trees  were  quite  tall  and  covered  with 
vines  which  hung  from  the  branches,  many  reaching  the 
ground.  The  trees  propagate  this  wise :  they  bear  a 
spindle  about  as  large  and  somewhat  resembling  the 
carbons  which  are  used  in  arc  lighting.  At  the  proper 
season  these  spindles,  which  grow  out  from  the  limbs, 


38  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

fall  to  the  ground  endways  and  are  driven  two  or  three 
inches  into  the  soft  earth.  There  they  take  root  and 
grow  into  trees. 

Numerous  species  of  the  cactus  were  to  be  found  on 
that  island,  some  being  ten  or  twelve  feet  high.  They 
did  not  appear  to  have  much  trunk,  but  were  nearly  all 
leaves.  Those  near  the  bottom  were  six  to  eight 
feet  long,  about  ten  inches  wide,  and  quite  thin  on  the 
edge,  which  was  rimmed  with  long  thorns.  The  middle 
of  the  leaves  would  average  about  four  inches  in 
thickness. 

The  ruler  of  the  island  at  that  period  was  called 
Prince  Willy ;  and  it  was  a  singular  custom,  that  before 
a  man  became  a  prince  there,  he  must  have  one  eye 
taken  out.  This  prince  had  had  one  of  his  "  extracted." 
He  looked  as  if  he  had  been  in  a  Texas  fight  with  his 
one  eye,  his  sinister-looking  long  goatee  and  hair  pretty 
well  on  end.  He  looked  quite  the  man,  too,  for  a  savage 
ruler.  The  natives  were  arrant  thieves  and  adepts  at 
their  profession.  They  had  a  particular  fancy  for  old 
hoop  iron.  We  learned  after  we  left  that  a  blacksmith 
had  a  few  months  before  escaped  from  a  whaling  ship, 
and  to  please  the  natives  he  made  spearheads  or  points 
from  hoop  iron.  When  ships  came  into  the  harbor  the 
natives  would  take  the  blacksmith  into  the  forest  and 
hide  him  until  the  vessels  had  left.  They  were  afraid  he 
would  leave  the  island,  and  they  wanted  him  for  their  own 
use.  One  of  our  men  caught  a  native  with  a  lot  of  hoop 
iron  under  his  wrap,  which  he  took  away  from  him  and 
gave  the  fellow  a  slap  on  the  head  with  his  hand.  The 
thief  yelled  so  one  could  hear  him  a  mile  off.  A 
dozen  natives  were  on  deck  at  the  time,  and  all  set  up  a 
great  howling.  In  less  than  a  minute  there  were  twenty 
or  more  canoes  putting  off  from  the  shore,  filled  with 
natives  with  plenty  of  spears  in  their  hands.  As  they 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  39 

pushed  alongside  the  first  to  show  above  the  ship's  rail 
was  that  bushy-headed,  one-eyed  Prince,  and  close 
behind  were  his  many  followers.  They  swarmed 
around  the  captain  on  the  quarter-deck,  all  wanting  to 
talk  at  once.  Such  a  medley  I  never  heard  before 
or  since.  They  made  the  captain  somewhat  nervous. 
He  could  not  make  them  understand,  and  they  did  not 
appear  to  want  to  understand.  They  wanted  to  fight 
right  there  and  then  apparently,  but  the  captain  had  no 
intention  of  gratifying  their  wishes. 

He  signalled  to  other  ships,  for  their  captains  to  come 
on  board,  which  they  did,  with  the  result  that  there  was  a 
deal  of  loud  talk  which  no  one  understood.  One  had 
to  guess  what  the  other  one  said. 

At  one  time  I  thought  the  captains  would  command  all 
hands  to  take  to  the  water  and  try  to  reach  shore  or  find 
the  bottom  of  the  bay  as  a  means  of  safety  ;  and  yet  to 
jump  overboard  would  be  like  jumping  out  of  the  frying 
pan  into  the  fire.  If  the  sharks  did  not  get  us,  the 
natives  would  soon  run  us  down  with  their  canoes. 

I  concluded  to  remain  on  deck,  and  if  worse  came  to 
worst  I  could  take  to  the  rigging  and  skip  aloft,  for  I 
knew  they  could  not  get  up  very  fast  over  the  ratlines. 
The  affair  was  finally  settled  without  any  blood  being 
spilt  on  either  side ;  but  the  captain  had  a  few  plugs  of 
tobacco  less  than  before  the  trouble  began.  The  natives 
are  very  fond  of  tobacco.  On  some  of  the  islands 
one  might  buy  a  woman  or  a  man  for  a  plug  of  tobacco. 

After  the  trouble  was  all  over,  Prince  Willy  left  the 
vessel  with  his  escort,  and  the  decks  were  soon  cleared 
of  the  vermin.  We  never,  after  that,  allowed  many  on 
board  at  one  time,  by  that  means  avoiding  further 
trouble. 

We  shipped  two  men  here,  who  had  run  away  from 
vessels  that  had  been  before  us.  I  shall  have  more 


4O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

to  say  of  them.  One  was  James  Bertine  of  New 
York,  a  very  tall,  slim  fellow,  whose  sobriquet  was 
Long  Jim.  The  other's  name  I  have  forgotten.  He 
was  made  third  mate ;  we  will  call  him  Jack. 

After  lying  in  port  for  about  a  month,  and  having 
taken  on  board  a  good  supply  of  meat  both  dressed 
and  alive,  and  about  one  hundred  turpin,  we  hoisted 
anchor  and  sailed  out  to  sea  again  to  have  another  hunt 
for  whales.  We  had  not  been  out  many  weeks  before 
we  found  a  right  whale.  The  captain,  taking  three  boats, 
went  after  him.  The  captain  got  fast  to  the  fellow,  and 
for  some  reason  which  I  could  never  find  out,  he  bent 
on  what  whalemen  call  a  drag, — a  piece  of  two-inch 
plank  about  twelve  inches  square,  with  a  plug  run 
through  the  centre,  to  which  a  line  is  attached.  This 
line  was  bent  to  the  one  attached  to  the  whale,  and 
the  balance  of  the  line  in  the  boat  was  held  to,  and 
the  part  that  was  overboard  was  cut  on  the  gunwale  of 
the  boat.  Strange  to  say,  the  captain  pulled  after  the 
whale  again,  which,  being  frightened,  went  twice  as 
fast  as  the  boat,  or  as  he  did  before  he  was  struck. 
The  captain  pulled  away  until  the  fish  was  out  of  sight, 
then  came  on  board,  and  I  suppose  entered  on  the 
log,  "  Chased  a  whale  this  day,  could  not  catch  him  ; 
going  two-forty  and  no  bets." 

That  fish  was  the  largest  I  had  ever  seen.  Right 
whales  feed  on  what  is  called  brit,  which  is  quite  as  fine 
as  corn  meal  and  of  a  reddish  color ;  in  fact,  the  water 
looks  quite  red  with  it,  and  is  apparently  alive.  A 
whale's  lips  are  some  three  feet  wide  and  from  six  to 
eight  feet  long.  The  bone  which  is  in  each  side  of  the 
mouth  under  their  lips,  consists  of  slabs  of  bone,  set 
pretty  near  together,  with  the  edge  having  the  hair  on 
the  inside.  The  tongue  is  very  large,  and  fills  the 
whole  of  the  lower  part  of  the  mouth.  It  resembles  a 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  41 

well -filled  feather  tick.  The  whale  when  feeding  swims 
rapidly  through  the  water,  throwing  his  lips  wide  open, 
and  the  bone  which  is  inside  expands  at  the  same 
time,  which  permits  the  water  to  flow  into  the  mouth, 
and  in  closing  their  lips,  the  tongue,  being  very  flexible, 
assists  to  force  the  water  out  through  the  hair  which  is 
attached  to  the  inner  edges  of  the  two  tiers  of  bones, 
act  as  a  strainer.  As  the  water  is  forced  out,  the  whale 
swallows  what  he  has  caught,  which  is  seldom  too  large 
to  go  down,  since  there  is  not  usually  anything  found 
for  whale  food  on  what  is  called  "  right  whale  ground" 
that  is  of  any.  considerable  size. 

The  humpback  whales  gather  their  food  in  the  same 
way,  but  the  bone  in  their  mouths  is  not  much  over  two 
feet  in  length,  and  they  feed  on  small  fish  about  the  size 
of  herring.  Frequently  humpback  whales  when  feed 
ing  go  through  the  water  with  their  noses  sticking 
a  few  feet  above  it,  scooping  in  large  numbers  of  fish, 
with  a  windrow  of  fish  rolling  out  of  the  water  ahead, 
trying  to  get  out  of  the  way. 

The  throat  or  pharynx  of  the  right  and  humpback 
whales  is  small,  being  riot  over  four  inches  in  diameter. 
It  is  doubtful  if  it  was  this  species  that  swallowed 
Jonah.  The  sperm  whale  has  a  much  larger  throat. 
It  feeds  on  squid,  which  is  similar  to  the  squid  found 
around  nearly  all  shores,  but  immensely  larger.  Before 
the  whale  has  been  through  them  and  dismembered 
them,  they  will  cover  quite  an  acre  of  space  on  the 
water. 

The  sperm  whale  has  quite  a  square  head,  the  lower 
part  of  which  is  very  much  smaller  than  the  upper.  The 
lower  jawbone,  when  stripped  of  flesh,  looks  much 
like  a  farmer's  harrow  with  a  long  shaft  running  out  at 
the  point  where  the  two  arms  meet.  This  shaft  in  a 
large  whale  is  some  six  feet  in  length  and  twelve  inches 


42  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

thick  at  the  fork,  tapering  down  to  five  or  six  at  the 
other  end.  The  upper  surface  of  this  long  shaft  is  flat, 
while  the  under  portion  is  rounded.  Teeth  that  are 
from  one  and  one  half  to  two  and  three  inches  thick, 
and  from  six  to  ten  inches  long,  are  set  about  three 
inches  apart  on  the  flat  side,  that  is,  the  upper  side  of 
the  lower  jaw.  This  arm  of  the  lower  jaw  shuts  into  a 
groove  in  the  under  side  of  the  head.  In  the  groove  are 
sockets  into  which  the  teeth  fit.  There  are  no  teeth  on 
the  upper  jaw,  only  these  sockets;  therefore  it  can  readily 
be  seen  that  they  cannot  chew  their  food.  When 
feeding  the  lower  jaw  hangs  down  a  little,  and  as  they 
swim  rapidly  through  the  squid  they  cut  them  into 
many  pieces ;  then  they  scoop  in  the  mutilated  fish  and 
swallow  them.  Sometimes  they  leave  pieces  many  feet 
long.  I  think  a  sperm  whale  could  easily  swallow  a 
man. 

We  found  no  more  whales  although  we  spent  many 
months  searching  for  them  in  vain.  We  finally  ran  the 
bark  into  a  group  of  islands  called  Rosemary  Islands. 
We  found  plenty  of  humpback  whales  there.  This 
species  of  whale  is  found  in  breeding  time  near  shore 
where  the  water  is  shallow.  They  are  more  easily  taken 
when  they  have  young  with  them,  as  the  female  will  not 
leave  her  little  ones  that  cannot  swim  as  fast  as  she  can. 
The  boats  frequently  fasten  to  a  calf,  and  they  are  sure 
to  get  the  mother  whale,  for  she  will  never  forsake  her 
baby. 

I  have  been  in  a  boat  that  was  carried  several  rods  on 
a  whale's  fin,  the  whale  thinking  the  boat  was  her  calf. 
They  often  carry  their  young  on  their  fins  when  hard 
pushed  by  a  boat.  The  cow  will  seldom  strike  a  boat 
when  her  calf  is  around,  no  doubt  taking  the  boat  for  her 
calf.  The  bulls  are  vicious.  I  have  travelled  faster 
in  a  boat  fastened  to  a  whale  when  attacked  than  on 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  43 

steam  cars,  and  I  have  travelled  over  a  mile  a  minute  on 
the  cars.  Many  times  have  I  heard  humpback  whales 
when  under  water  make  a  whining  sound  similar  to 
that  which  a  lot  of  bees  make  when  disturbed,  a  sound 
which  can  be  heard  a  mile  away. 

The  bull  whales  are  frequently  seen  flapping  their  fins 
up  and  down.  It  is  very  dangerous  to  approach  them  when 
they  are  at  that  sport.  Their  fins  are  from  ten  to  twelve 
feet  long.  Those  of  the  other  species  are  not  more  than 
four  to  six  feet  long.  The  humpback  whale  cutting 
through  the  water  with  those  long  fins  and  broad,  heavy 
tail  would  make  short  work  of  a  boat  that  got  too 
near. 

I  have  fastened  to  them  when  they  were  "finning,"  as 
it  is  called,  and  it  was  difficult  to  tell  at  times  which 
was  in  the  boat,  the  crew  or  the  whale,  or  both.  A 
broad  fin  would  sweep  over  the  entire  length  of  the  boat, 
feeling  for  something  to  strike,  then  disappear  with  a 
plunge  into  the  seething  waters,  and  up  would  come  a 
head  quite  as  large  as  a  load  of  hay,  behind  which  was 
an  immense  body.  We  would  then  put  our  hands 
against  the  mass,  and  others,  with  the  boat  hook,  would 
push  the  boat  from  the  creature,  as  one  would  from 
a  ledge  of  rocks. 

The  humpback  whale  is  the  most  dangerous  creature 
to  handle  that  can  be  found  in  the  water  or  on  land. 
We  seldom  go  out  of  a  scrape  with  one  without 
several  holes  being  stove  in  our  boats.  The  whales 
taken  at  these  islands  sank  after  they  were  killed.  We 
anchored  them  in  about  twenty  fathoms.  After  they 
had  lain  at  the  bottom  three  days  they  would  float.  We 
would  then  tow  them  to  the  ship  and  cut  them  up. 

The  abdomen  of  the  humpback  whale  is  corrugated, 
and  looks  like  the  lid  of  a  roll-top  desk.  The  skin  be 
tween  these  wrinkles  is  very  elastic,  quite  as  much  so  as 


44  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

rubber.  If  we  happened  to  lose  a  whale,  and  not  find  it 
for  a  week  or  so,  it  would,  by  that  time,  be  what  the 
whalemen  call  "blasted,"  —  swollen  to  twice  its  natural 
size,  perhaps  even  three  times,  and  would  look  a  little 
distance  off  like  a  very  large  vessel  on  her  beam  ends. 
When  in  that  condition  they  are  filled  with  a  foul  gas 
which  can  be  scented  ten  miles  to  the  leeward. 

The  Rosemary  Islands  are  not  very  fertile.  Many  are 
merely  sand  banks  thinly  scattered  with  a  sage  brush, 
while  others  are  a  mass  of  ledge  with  sharp  points. 
We  found  but  one  island  in  the  group  that  had  water  or 
wood  upon  it.  We  saw  few  natives,  eight  or  ten  perhaps, 
and  they  were  perfectly  nude,  and  were  as  near  the  brute 
as  could  be.  The  only  weapons  they  carried  were  bones 
from  a  bird's  wing  stuck  through  a  hole  in  the  end  of 
their  nose.  That  they  used  to  kill  turtles,  in  this  way : 
They  have  a  dry  log  which  is  about  ten  feet  long  and 
eight  inches  thick  which  they  straddle  in  the  water. 
Paddling  with  their  hands  and  kicking  with  their  feet, 
they  get  through  the  water  quite  rapidly,  and  when  they 
espy  a  turtle  sleeping  on  the  surface,  they  approach 
noiselessly  and  catch  it  by  one  of  the  flippers,  and  turn 
him  over  on  to  his  back.  They  then  draw  the  peg  out 
of  their  nose,  and  run  it  through  the  turtle's  eyes. 
This  soon  kills  the  turtle,  when  they  tow  it  ashore,  and 
have  a  royal  feast. 

Turtle,  fish,  and  birds  are  all  they  have  to  live  upon 
when  there  is  no  whaling  going  on  in  the  bays.  When 
ships  are  taking  whales,  the  carcasses,  having  been 
stripped  of  the  blubber,  frequently  float  ashore,  and  the 
natives  strip  the  flesh  from  the  bones  for  food.  They 
paddle  ofT  to  vessels  when  the  whalemen  are  "cutting  in" 
a  whale  and  eat  the  scraps  the  sailors  throw  over  to  them. 

We  were  "  cutting  in  "  a  cow  whale  one  day,  and  the  man 
who  was  using  the  spade  cut  into  the  udder,  and  the  milk 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  45 

began  to  flow  at  once.  Being  curious  to  know  how  whale's 
milk  tasted,  I  took  a  dipper  and  jumped  on  to  the  stag 
ing  and  from  there  on  to  the  whale  and  caught  some  of 
the  milk.  I  then  returned  to  the  deck  and  took  a  sup  of 
the  milk,  but  it  was  too  salt  to  taste.  In  dipping  I  un 
fortunately  took  in  about  as  much  salt  water  as  milk, 
but  I  had  tasted  whale's  milk,  which  I  think  no  other 
person  ever  did.  Although  I  could  not  tell  how  it  tasted, 
it  was  quite  as  white  as  cow's  milk.  At  another  time, 
when  we  were  "  cutting  in  "  on  another  large  whale,  the 
captain  thought  he  would  give  us  a  fresh  mess  of  whale 
steak ;  accordingly  he  had  a  large  piece  of  lean  meat  cut 
off  and  hoisted  on  board.  The  cook  was  soon  set  to 
frying  whale  steak.  He  cooked  up  quite  a  lot  of  it.  At 
dinner-time  we  found  a  well-filled  kid  sent  down  to  us  of 
fried  whale.  Each  man  took  a  slice  and  began  trying  to 
eat  it.  Each  ate  a  little,  and  a  little  was  quite  as  much 
as  any  of  us  wished  for.  The  grain  was  as  large  as  a 
man's  finger,  and  as  tough  as  an  alligator's  hide.  We 
partook  so  very  sparingly  of  our  fresh  meat  that  when 
the  kid  was  returned  to  the  cook,  he  thought  there  was 
more  left  than  was  first  served.  As  in  the  feast  of  the 
multitude,  there  were  left  seven  basketsful  and  much  fish. 
The  cook  seldom  threw  anything  overboard  except  the 
water  bucket,  which  he  would  throw  on  certain  occasions. 
So  he  took  the  fine  lot  of  meat  or  fish,  call  it  what  you 
may,  and  worked  it  over  into  a  whale  lobscouse.  We 
supposed  the  cook  would  take  the  kid  and  throw  the 
lot  overboard,  but  we  found  at  supper-time  that  he  had 
not  done  so.  The  same  old  cat  we  rejected  at  noon  was 
passed  down  to  us  steaming  hot.  The  creature  had  been 
trimmed  up  a  little,  but  the  first  mouthful  revealed  his 
presence.  However,  out  of  consideration  for  the  cook, 
who  had  spent  quite  all  of  the  afternoon  wrestling  with 
the  problem  of  making  the  creature  eatable,  and  who  had 


46  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

used  three  or  four  pounds  of  hard  bread  therefor,  we 
masticated  a  little  of  it ;  more  for  the  bread  that  was 
in  it,  than  for  anything  else.  What  was  left  went  over 
board  that  night  while  the  cook  was  tucked  snug  away 
in  his  blankets.  The  captain  never  afterwards  tried  to 
palm  off  whale  steak  on  us  for  veal  cutlets.  Experience 
enabled  me  to  say  that  I  had  eaten  whale  and  drank 
whale's  milk  ;  but  as  the  student  said  of  stewed  crow 
peppered  with  Scotch  snuff,  I  might  say  of  the  whale 
steak,  "  Whale  meat  is  good  meat,  but  I  don't  hanker 
after  it." 

The  season  for  whales  at  that  place  was  over.  We 
had  been  there  about  three  months.  All  hands  were 
badly  off  with  scurvy,  having  so  long  had  salt  beef  for 
dinner,  lobscouse  for  supper,  and,  for  a  change,  lob- 
scouse  for  breakfast.  On  Sunday  we  would  get  a  slice 
of  plum  duff,  with  about  one  plum  to  a  man.  It  was 
then  I  recalled  the  plums  heaped  before  me  at  my  uncle's 
in  Boston.  However,  I  choked  down  my  emotion  with  a 
chunk  of  salt  beef  that  might  have  been  around  the  world 
three  or  four  times  for  aught  I  know,  and  waited  until 
all  the  other  sailors  had  had  their  hack  at  the  duff,  when, 
if  any  was  left,  came  my  chance.  I  was  the  "  titman  " 
on  board,  and,  according  to  nautical  etiquette,  was  the 
last  to  get  served  at  the  mess  kid.  As  a  general  rule 
sailors  live  pretty  well  on  whaleships ;  but  sometimes, 
when  a  ship  has  been  out  two  or  three  years,  her  meats 
and  breadstuffs  get  rather  stale,  so-much  so,  that  often 
the  cook  would  find  fully  half  the  meat  and  bread 
served  for  the  meal,  left  in  the  kid.  A  good  cook  is 
never  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do  in  such  cases ;  he 
knows  all  the  mysteries  of  lobscouse,  and  it  is  doubtful 
if  a  chemist  could  analyze  it  to  tell  what  its  components 
are.  All  that  is  left  over  in  all  the  kids,  both  fore  and 
aft,  goes  into  the  pot  together,  good,  bad,  and  indifferent, 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  47 

to  complete  the  compound.  To  season  this  the  cook 
puts  in  a  couple  of  spoonfuls  of  "  slush"  with  half  a  pint 
of  molasses;  then  the  mess  is  boiled,  poured  into  the  kid, 
and  served  to  the  crew  for  their  inspection  and  consump 
tion.  Sometimes  the  sailors  make  for  a  change  what  is 
called,  among  high-toned  jack-tars,  "dundifunk."  This 
is  made  of  powdered  hard  bread,  slush  and  molasses, 
then  baked  until  brown  on  the  top.  They  do  not  have 
it  often,  since  it  is  considered  a  rare  and  delicate  dish. 

The  Sunday  before  we  left  the  islands  all  went  on 
shore  in  company  with  the  crew  of  another  vessel  that 
happened  there.  A  man  in  the  other  vessel's  crew  had 
a  fife  which  he  took  along  with  him,  so  we  all  had  a 
march  on  shore,  headed  by  the  fifer.  The  captain 
wanted  to  give  us  a  run  on  land,  since  it  was  a  help  to 
those  who  had  the  scurvy,  and  we  had  it  badly.  I 
wish  to  call  attention  to  the  man  who  played  the  fife, 
since  I  saw  him  again  in  a  distant  part  of  the  world, 
and  in  a  more  lucrative  business  than  whaling. 

Our  ramble  on  the  shore  over,  we  went  on  board  and 
were  soon  under  way  and  running  for  Geograph  Bay, 
Australia,  where  we  arrived  without  mishap.  I  was 
down  with  the  scurvy.  We  were  sent  on  shore,  where 
with  an  old  sail  we  rigged  up  a  tent.  We  did  not  re 
quire  much  shelter,  for  the  weather  was  warm  and  dry. 
We  were  fed  on  potatoes,  milk,  and  beef,  and  were  soon 
perfectly  well. 

I  was  glad  to  firtd  many  white  people  at  that  place. 
They  were  not  only  white,  but  spoke  English.  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  to  leave  the  vessel  as  soon  as  we  came 
to  a  country  where  white  people  lived,  and  I  concluded 
this  was  the  place.  I  managed  to  board  the  ship  two  or 
three  times  a  week  under  the  pretence  of  getting  some 
thing,  and  then  when  going  ashore  again  would  have  on 
more  than  one  suit  of  clothes,  and  sometimes  carried  a 


48  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

bundle.  In  that  way  I  soon  got  everything  I  cared  for 
ashore,  since  my  outfit  was  not  very  large.  I  had  used 
up  all  of  my  outfit  with  which  I  started  from  home,  and 
was  considerably  in  debt  to  the  "slop  chest,"  which  is 
a  sort  of  a  country  store  on  board  the  ship,  and  out 
of  which  the  captain  peddles  goods  to  the  sailors  at 
whatever  terms  may  suit  himself.  After  finding  my 
credit  good  at  the  store,  I  ran  up  quite  a  little  bill.  I 
owed  at  home  between  thirty  and  forty  dollars,  which 
was  waiting  to  be  paid  out  of  the  three  or  four  hundred 
dollars  that  I  was  to  get  at  the  end  of  the  voyage.  I 
knew  with  what  I  was  owing  the  captain  and  what 
I  owed  the  store  in  Boston,  with  the  voyage  only  half 
through,  that  if  I  stayed  the  entire  voyage  and  filled 
the  vessel  with  oil,  I  would  not  have,  after  my  bills  were 
paid,  enough  money  to  pay  for  a  plate  of  Boston's  baked 
beans.  So  I  decided  to  leave  the  ship,  with  all  its  joys 
and  sorrows  behind.  No  fault  was  to  be  found  with  the 
vessel,  its  officers  or  crew,  for  I  was  treated  well  by  all 
on  board  and  liked  the  sea,  but  I  did  not  har.ker  after 
whales  which  had  no  money  in  them  for  me. 

We  were  camped  near  the  beach.  There  was  a 
lagoon  running  back  from  the  beach  about  a  half-mile 
wide.  Beyond  that  was  a  small  hamlet,  with  a  little  hotel 
and  a  few  log-cabins.  The  principal  store  was  on  the 
beach  near  where  we  landed.  We  used  to  wade  the 
lagoon  when  we  wanted  to  go  over  to  the  hotel.  In 
some  places  the  lagoon  was  quite  three  feet  deep. 

The  time  had  come  at  last  for  me  to  shoulder  my  kit 
and  break  camp.  The  vessel  was  about  .ready  to  go  to 
sea.  I  slung  all  my  worldly  effects  over  my  shoulder 
and  in  the  night  stole  across  the  dark  waters  which  lay 
between  me  and  liberty.  I  passed  through  the  little 
town  and  close  to  the  hotel  where  the  captain  was  sleep 
ing,  and  sleeping  soundly  I  hoped.  I  went  through 


SEVENTEEN -YEAR- OLD    LAD.  49 

the  town  without  waking  even  a  dog,  and  plunged  into 
the  forest  not  far  away.  It  was  dark,  but  I  liked  that ;  no 
one  could  pursue  me.  I  kept  on  for  about  a  mile,  when 
I  came  to  an  old  log  which  was  a  pretty  large  one ;  one 
end  was  about  two  feet  above  the  ground  ;  I  piled  some 
brush  against  one  side,  and  hid  myself  under  it  after  the 
fashion  of  a  bird  that  puts  its  head  under  a  leaf  and 
thinks  itself  out  of  sight. 

I  did  not  know  whether  there  were  any  wild  animals 
about  or  not,  or  whether  there  were  any  in  the  country ; 
neither  did  I  care  much  just  then.  I  was  under  the  log, 
and  out  of  harm's  way  for  the  present.  I  did  not  make  a 
fire,  having  no  desire  to  attract  attention,  and  being  yet 
within  the  lines  of  the  enemy.  Finally  I  fell  asleep, 
and  slept  well,  considering  the  accommodations  at  my 
new  hotel,  for  it  was  not  quite  so  elaborate  as  was 
my  room  in  Lowell,  but  luxuries  were  readily  dispensed 
with. 

I  was  not  troubled  by  the  bills  I  owed  the  ship,  as 
after  leaving  Lowell,  having  got  bravely  over  that  com 
punction.  On  finding  the  coast  clear  and  no  signs  of 
immediate  attack,  I  was  quite  contented  with  the  situation. 
Before  retiring  I  partook  of  a  slight  repast,  which  con 
sisted  of  a  small  piece  of  ship  biscuit  and  a  little  molasses. 
When  finally  leaving  the  ship  I  took  a  bottle  half  full 
of  molasses  and  six  cakes  of  hard  bread. 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 


CHAPTER   III. 

FIRST  DAY  IN  THE  BUSH ADVANCES  TOWARDS  THE  SETTLE 
MENT LEARNS  BRICKMAKING  AT  THE  COLONY A  JOUR 
NEY  INLAND KANGAROO  HUNTING BECOMES  A  CAR 
PENTER STUDYING  THE  HABITS  OF  THE  NATIVES A 

MILLERITE  EVENT  WHICH  CAUSES  THE  LOSS  OF  A  SHIP ' 

STARTS  IN  BUSINESS POOR  RESULTS  AND  BAD  DEBTS 

BECOMES  A  LUMBERMAN PERFORMS  A  SURGICAL  OPER 
ATION HOMESICKNESS  LITTLE     MONEY     FOR     FIVE 

YEARS'    WORK — RESOLVES  TO   EMBARK  —  CHARACTER 
ISTICS  AND  ANECDOTES  OF  THE  AUSTRALIAN  NATIVES. 

MY  first  morning  in  the  bush  was  spent  in  laying  plans 
for  the  future.  My  first  duty  was,  like  a  good  general, 
to  examine  my  supply  of  provisions,  which  were  so 
limited  that  all  hands  were  put  on  short  allowance  at 
once.  I  knew  that  I  could  not  stand  much  of  a  siege. 
My  next  work  was  to  strengthen  my  position  a  little, 
which  was  done  by  piling  up  more  brush  around  the  log. 
I  did  not  know  whether  my  habitation  there  would  be 
temporary  or  of  long  duration,  so  prepared  for  the 
worst. 

Having  plenty  of  tobacco,  I  did  not  wish  to  put  myself 
on  allowance,  for  it  had  become  a  great  solace  to  me. 
When  we  left  home,  we  all  took  along  ten  to  twenty 
pounds  each ;  not  only  for  our  own  use,  but  to  trade  with 
the  natives  at  the  different  islands  we  might  stop  at.  I 
took  ten  pounds.  At  that  time  I  had  never  used  to 
bacco,  but  wanted  to  trade  with  those  who  did  use  it.  I 
was  at  the  wheel  one  day  when  the  captain  came  up  from 
the  cabin  with  a  box  of  broken  cigars.  He  asked  me  if 
I  wanted  them,  holding  them  out  to  me.  He  told  me 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  51 

that  he  did  not  care  for  them,  as  they  were  so  broken  up. 
Taking  them  forward,  I  soon  began  to  try  their  flavor,  and 
it  did  not  take  me  many  days  to  use  up  every  stump  ;  and 
since  I  had  got  a  taste,  and  the  captain  had  no  more 
boxes  of  broken  cigars  to  give  away,  I  took  at  once  to 
my  stock  in  trade.  That  was  quite  fifty  years  ago,  and  I 
have  never  neglected  the  weed  since,  when  it  was  to  be 
obtained,  although  having  sometimes  been  on  rather 
short  allowance. 

I  found  plenty  of  time  between  meals  to  meditate  and 
smoke.  I  began  to  think  that  if  a  dish  of  that  mysterious 
compound  which  we  used  to  see  so  often  on  board  ship 
was  placed  before  me,  that  it  would  neither  be  regretted 
nor  neglected.  Finding,  however,  that  dwelling  on  the 
past  would  not  help  the  future  nor  the  present,  I  partook 
of  a  humble  supper  and  retired  to  my  couch  under  the 
log,  cast  aside  all  thought  of  what  the  morrow  might 
reveal  and  went  to  sleep,  feeling  safe  for  that  night  if  for 
no  longer.  Before  morning  I  found  that  there  were 
other  dangers  to  guard  against  besides  the  captain  and 
sheriff, —  the  danger  of  losing  one's  food.  I  was  awakened 
in  the  middle  of  the  night  by  a  singular  noise  near  me, 
but  just  outside  my  brush  shelter.  I  laid  perfectly  quiet 
and  waited  to  see  what  the  creature  would  do,  intending 
to  let  it  be  the  first  to  make  an  attack,  if  there  was  to  be 
a  fight.  I  soon  found  that  the  animal,  whatever  it  might 
be,  appeared  to  be  hunting  for  my  hard  bread ;  he  had 
managed  to  get  his  nose  pretty  near  my  bag,  in  which 
was  kept  all  my  worldly  effects  as  well  as  my  daily 
supply  of  food.  I  concluded  by  the  noise  that  the  animal 
was  not  a  very  large  one,  whatever  it  might  be,  but 
its  nose  was  painfully  near  my  rations,  so  believed 
it  time  to  call  a  halt.  Accordingly  I  gave  the  brush 
a  kick,  and  with  one  bound  it  was  a  rod  away,  and 
with  one  or  two  more  of  such  leaps,  out  of  hearing. 


52  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

This,  disturber  was  a  little  animal  about  the  size  of  a 
rabbit  that  jumps  like  the' kangaroo;  which  appears  to  be 
the  way  most  of  the  animals  get  over  the  ground  in  that 
country.  This  animal  is  called  the  walaby  by  the  natives  ; 
and  they  jump  like  grasshoppers,  with  their  hind  legs 
and  tail.  When  feeding  they  use  their  fore  legs,  which 
are  short. 

Having  had  no  water  since  leaving  the  beach,  I  was 
very  thirsty  in  the  morning.  At  the  beach  I  had  become 
acquainted  with  two  men :  one  was  a  sailor,  an  Ameri 
can,  who  had  run  away  from  some  ship;  the  other  man 
was  an  Englishman  and  a  hanger-on  around  the  hotel. 
The  Englishman  we  will  call  Sam  ;  and  the  Yankee, 
Spaulding,  which  was  his  right  name,  and  if  he  is  alive 
now  and  should  read  this  book,  he  will  remember  the 
incident.  I  thought  that  Sam  was  trustworthy,  and 
would  keep  silent  about  me,  therefore  after  dark  one 
night  I  left  my  hiding  place  and  made  my  way  to  the 
door  of  Sam's  cabin.  He  seemed  to  be  much  pleased  to 
see  me,  and  gave  me  a  good  supper  of  fresh  beef  stew, 
and  urged  me  to  remain  over  night  with  him,  saying  that 
I  could  get  away  in  the  morning  before  any  one  was  up. 
I  hesitated  at  first,  but  at  his  earnest  request  I  remained 
with  him.  In  the  morning  I  was  up  at  daylight.  I 
thought  of  my  experience  in  Lowell,  and  had  no  intention 
of  being  caught  napping.  Sam  made  me  promise  to 
spend  the  next  night  with  him.  I  returned  to  my  fort 
before  the  garrison  was  up,  and  managed  to  get  through 
the  day  without  having  a  surprise.  After  dark  I  went  to 
my  friend's  again ;  he  was  ready  to  receive  me,  but  he 
had  no  steaming  supper  waiting  for  me  as  I  expected. 
He  said,  however,  that  he  would  soon  have  supper,  but 
was  out  of  bread,  and  if  I  would  lend  him  my  hat  he 
would  run  over  to  the  hotel  and  get  a  loaf.  I  did  so  and 
he  started  off.  I  soon  began  to  mistrust  my  new  friend, 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  53 

and  so  followed  after  him  and  kept  him  in  sight.  He 
entered  the  hotel,  while  I  stopped  some  four  or  five  rods 
from  the  hotel  and  awaited  developments.  I  had  not 
long  to  wait,  for  in  a  very  few  minutes  out  came  Sam 
and  another  man  in  his  shirt  sleeves.  This  man  had  on 
a  white  shirt,  which  neither  Sam  nor  Spaulding  wore. 
When  they  had  got  about  twenty  feet  from  the  door  I 
thought  it  time  to  challenge,  so  sang  out  to  know  who 
the  man  was  with  him.  Sam  appeared  to  be  surprised 
to  find  me  so  near  him,  since  he  thought  I  was  in  the 
cabin  awaiting  his  return ;  but  he  soon  answered  that  it 
was  Spaulding.  I  replied  that  Spaulding  did  not  wear  a 
white  shirt.  "Yes,"  said  he,  "Spaulding  has  changed 
his  shirt  to-day."  "  Now,"  said  I,  "let  him  speak,  and  if 
it  is  Spaulding  I  shall  know  his  voice."  So  he  told  his 
companion  to  speak,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  care  to.  I 
was  well  satisfied  at  the  first  sight  of  the  white  shirt 
that  the  man  was  Capt.  Coffin,  but  at  the  same  time  I 
wanted  to  be  doubly  sure.  Finally  the  captain,  as  he 
proved  to  be,  gave  a  sort  of  a  grunt.  I  sang  out,  "That 
is  old  Coffin,"  and  started  away  for  the  bush  on  the  run. 
The  captain  continued  calling  after  me,  and  I  continued 
running.  Sam  called  until  his  friendly  calls  were  soon 
lost  in  the  distance  that  I  had  quickly  made  between  us. 
I  pushed  on  for  about  a  mile,  and  then  halted.  I  knew 
from  the  nature  of  the  forest  that  there  would  be  no 
further  pursuit  that  night.  I  could  not  find  my  log- 
cabin,  it  was  too  dark;  so  I  built  a  little  fire  and  laid  my 
self  down  to  sleep,  and  managed  to  get  a  few  short  naps, 
but  I  kept  one  eye  open,  having  no  idea  of  being  caught 
by  the  captain.  I  was  fast  learning  the  ways  of  my 
friends.  I  was  up  at  daylight  and  went  at  once  on  a  still 
hunt  for  my  log,  which  I  soon  found  and  took  possession 
of  again,  none  the  worse  for  my  adventure.  Towards 
ten  o'clock  as  I  lay  snugly  tucked  away  under  my  log, 


54  THE    ADVENTURES   OF   A 

pondering  over  my  narrow  escape  and  wondering  what 
next  would  happen  to  me,  I  presently  heard  steps  ap 
proaching.  I  crawled  partly  out  and  was  soon  in  a  posi 
tion  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat  if  need  be.  The  person 
causing  me  so  much  uneasiness  came  and  stood  before 
me  with  nothing  to  cover  his  person  but  a  roll  of  twine, 
about  the  size  of  my  arm,  wound  around  his  waist.  He 
was  one  of  the  natives,  and  the  twine  was  made  of  opos 
sum  fur.  I  waited  in  silence  for  him  to  introduce  him 
self.  Finally,  after  gazing  at  me  a  few  moments,  he  made 
a  half-scowl  and  half-grin  and  started  on  his  way,  and,  as 
I  believed,  rejoicing  to  think  of  the  reward  he  would 
get  for  his  discovery  from  the  captain.  But  I  was  not  to 
be  outgeneralled  by  a  nude  savage !  He  had  hardly 
disappeared  from  sight  before  I  had  my  grip  on  my 
shoulder  and  was  off  on  my  way  to  pastures  new  and 
fresh.  I  pushed  on  into  the  forest  a  mile  farther,  and 
pitched  my  tent  this  time  under  a  tree,  where  there  was 
nothing  to  obstruct  my  view,  as  I  now  had  a  desire  to 
see  before  being  seen  if  it  was  possible,  that  I  might 
have  time  for  flight.  I  occupied  this  camp  about  a  week. 
Occasionally  I  ventured  out  past  the  little  village  to  a 
brook  after  water,  and  sometimes  passed  through  a  field 
of  potatoes,  where  I  would  fill  my  pockets,  and  when  I 
got  back  to  camp  would  have  a  treat  on  potatoes  and 
molasses.  I  was  without  a  hat,  since  I  did  not  wait 
for  Sam  to  return  mine. 

I  had  thread  and  needles  in  my  outfit  and  a  pair  of  old 
pants.  Believing  I  could  get  along  better  without  pants 
than  without  a  hat,  I  cut  up  the  pants  and  made  a 
skull  cap.  It  had  no  visor  to  it,  and  was  rather  a  poor 
substitute  for  a  cap.  I  looked  quite  as  comical  in  it  as  I 
did  with  the  beaver  which  I  wore  when  I  left  Canada. 
But  I  was  never  very  proud,  and  I  cared  little  for  the  fash 
ions  of  the  country,  knowing  that  if  I  got  entirely  out  of 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  55 

pants  I  should  then  be  in  the  very  height  of  the  fashion, 
since  I  had  seen,  a  few  days  since,  one  of  their  latest 
fashion  plates. 

Becoming  restless,  I  thought  I  would  go  over  to  the 
beach  and  see  if  the  vessel  had  sailed.  I  had  begun  to 
get  tired  of  the  monotony  of  my  life,  and  longed  for  a 
change.  I  put  on  what  clothing  I  could  wear,  lest  I 
should  not  find  my  bundle  on  my  return,  hid  my  sack, 
and  at  night  crossed  over  the  bayou  to  the  beach. 
Hiding  near  my  old  camp,  I  waited  for  daylight.  As 
soon  as  light  dawned,  I  was  out  making  observations  over 
the  water,  and  there  the  old  vessel  lay  quietly  at  anchor. 
My  courage  did  not  fail  me.  I  hid  in  the  bushes  where  I 
could  see  who  came  ashore.  It  was  not  long  before  I 
saw  a  boat  push  off,  which  was  soon  on  the  beach.  The 
officer  in  the  boat  was  the  third  mate,  Jack,  whom  we 
shipped  in  Madagascar.  In  him  I  always  had  a  friend. 
I  met  him  at  the  store,  and  he  told  me  that  the  captain 
was  at  the  hotel  and  would  be  there  all  day,  and  I  was 
safe  at  the  store  part  of  the  day,  if  not  throughout  the 
day.  At  about  ten  o'clock  the  Englishman  came  over, 
but  before  I  saw  him  he  had  drank  heavily.  I  told  the 
mate  how  he  had  taken  my  hat,  and  how  he  had  tried  to 
sell  me  to  the  captain.  The  Englishman  had  a  very 
nice  hat  on,  so  the  mate  exchanged  with  him  and  gave 
him  my  patent  cap  for  his  hat.  The  mate  told  me  that 
the  bark  would  not  sail  for  another  week,  and  if  I  wanted 
to  get  clear  I  had  better  go  up  to  the  Lashanault,  a 
little  town  about  thirty  miles  up  the  coast,  and  I  con 
cluded  to  take  his  advice.  He  bought  a  pound  of  biscuit 
at  the  store,  which  he  gave  to  me  to  eat  on  my  journey. 
It  was  too  late  then  to  start,  since  I  wanted  to  make  the 
trip  in  one  day,  so  I  concluded  to  camp  a  little  way  up 
the  beach  until  morning.  Before  leaving  the  mate,  he 
told  me  that  the  native  who  saw  me  at  my  first  hiding 


56  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

place  came  straight  to  the  hotel  and  told  the  captain 
where  he  could  find  me.  On  learning  that,  the  captain 
hunted  up  the  sheriff  and  the  three  started  out  after 
me.  The  native  was  not  long  in  guiding  them  to  the  old 
log  I  had  so  hastily  and  recently  left.  The  sheriff  looked 
under  the  log,  and  told  the  captain  that  the  nest  was  there, 
but  the  bird  had  flown.  The  captain  had  a  self-acting 
revolver.  The  sheriff  had  never  seen  one.  He  was 
looking  at  it,  and  as  he  held  it  in  both  hands  and  pulled 
the  trigger  to  see  how  the  thing  worked,  he  found  out  to 
his  sorrow.  It  acted,  and  his  thumb  went  off  at  the  same 
time. 

I  saw  the  sheriff  some  three  months  later ;  he  showed 
me  his  hand,  and  said  that  was  all  he  got  for  trying  to 
catch  me.  I  told  him  it  ought  to  have  blown  his  head 
off  for  chasing  a  poor  sailor.  I  learned,  later  on,  that  the 
Englishman  had  reported  me  to  the  captain  after  my  first 
night  with  him.  The  captain  offered  him  fifteen  dollars 
if  he  would  help  him  catch  me,  but  he  found  that  chaff 
was  no  good  around  his  trap. 

The  next  morning  I  started  bright  and  early  for  Lasha- 
nault,  a  walk  of  thirty  miles  over  a  hot  and  sandy  beach 
and  without  water.  The  ocean  lay  on  one  side  of  my 
route,  and  a  wild,  dark  forest  on  the  other.  I  left  my 
bag  with  its  contents  behind,  since  I  dared  not  go  after 
it,  knowing  that  danger  lurked  in  every  bush,  and  not 
wanting  to  take  any  risk.  I  pushed  on  with  the  rising 
of  the  sun,  and  had  not  gone  over  a  mile  when  I  came 
to  a  river  some  two  hundred  yards  wide  and  quite  deep 
and  rapid.  Thinking  I  might  ford  it,  I  pulled  off  my 
shoes  and  pants  and  started  in,  but  found  it  too  deep  to 
go  straight  across  and  too  rapid  to  think  of  swimming 
against  the  current,  so  I  retreated.  Upon  further  inves 
tigation  I  found  that,  where  the  river  emptied  into  the 
bay,  the  water  appeared  to  be  quite  shallow.  I  started 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  57 

in  again  and  took  a  long  half-moon  circle  and  found  the 
water  some  three  feet  deep,  but  I  made  the  landing  on 
the  other  side  successfully.  Soon  dressed,  again  I  went 
on  my  way,  rejoicing  to  know  that  there  was  at  least 
one  barrier  between  me  and  pursuit.  I  pushed  on 
about  two  miles  farther,  when  another  river  lay  before 
me.  This  river  I  found  quite  deep,  but  I  thought  I 
could  get  over  in  the  same  manner  as  the  other ;  so  I 
doffed  my  shoes  and  pants  and  plunged  in  and  started 
on  a  long  circuit.  I  had  got  about  fifty  yards  from 
shore,  when,  to  my  dismay,  I  found  myself  slowly  but 
surely  sinking.  The  sand  beneath  my  feet  appeared  to 
be  alive,  and  I  realized  in  a  moment  that  I  was  on  a  bar 
of  quicksand,  and  to  think  was  to  act  under  those  cir 
cumstances.  I  whirled  around  and  drew  my  feet  from 
the  sand  and  made  for  the  shore  again,  which  I  soon 
reached. 

My  courage  was  yet  unabated.  Going  up  the  stream 
some  two  hundred  yards,  to  where  the  current  was  not 
quite  so  rapid,  I  stripped  off  my  shirt,  bundled  -up  my 
effects  and  held  them  in  one  hand  at  arm's  length,  and 
waded  in  until  the  water  reached  my  waist,  then  struck 
out  with  both  feet  and  one  hand.  The  current,  as  I  ex 
pected,  carried  me  down  the  stream  rapidly,  but  I  kept 
my  eyes  on  the  opposite  shore  and  pulled  as  for  dear 
life.  I  dared  not  turn  my  eyes  toward  the  ocean  which  I 
knew  was  very  near;  and  I  thought  if  there  was  danger 
of  my  taking  a  fast  trip  to  sea,  I  did  not  wish  to  know  it. 
I  finally  reached  the  bank  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  and  was  soon  ready  for  the  tramp,  which  I  resumed 
at  once,  feeling  then  for  the  first  time  since  I  had  left  the 
vessel  that  I  was  a  free  man,  with  the  world  before  me. 

I  pushed  on  at  a  good  pace  with  a  fair  wind  behind,, 
the  open  sea  beside  me,  and  a  clear  sky  overhead.  I 
soon  found  myself  much  in  want  of  what  I  recently  had 


58  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

too  much  of, —  water.  With  the  heat  and  the  sea  breeze  I 
found  myself  almost  choked ;  I  did  not  find  a  drop  of 
fresh  water  during  the  whole  journey  of  thirty  miles.  I 
knew  that  when  I  started,  hence  my  desire  to  keep  on 
the  move.  I  would  take  a  bite  of  cracker  and  a  smoke 
after,  to  allay  my  thirst.  I  always  found  a  good  smoke, 
when  very  thirsty,  would  moisten  my  mouth  and  very 
much  relieve  me. 

About  mid-day  I  saw  something  ahead  that  made  me 
feel  that  the  end  of  trouble  was  not  yet,  notwithstanding 
I  had  flattered  myself  that  I  had  passed  all  danger. 
Three  natives  came  out  of  the  bush  and  walked  down  to 
the  water's  edge.  But  since  there  were  but  three,  I 
thought  I  might  have  some  show  in  a  fight,  if  there  was 
to  be  one.  My  first  thought  was  that  the  captain,  antici 
pating  my  intended  journey,  had  sent  an  advance 
to  act  as  body  guard  and  escort  while  on  the  way  back 
to  headquarters.  Again  I  thought  of  the  tales  I  had 
heard  of  the  cannibals  who  inhabit  the  islands  in  that  part 
of  the  world.  On  getting  up  to  them,  they  took  a  careful 
survey  of  me  and  then  gave  a  grunt  and  muttered  a  few 
words  in  a  language  which  was  all  like  Dutch  to  me,  but 
I  pretended  to  understand  them  and  pointed  ahead  and 
said,  "Yes,"  "Warm  day,"  "Good  morning,"  and  started 
on  again.  I  soon  looked  back,  however,  not  wishing 
them  to  steal  a  march  on  me,  and  finding  they  were 
going  the  other  way,  felt  much  relieved.  Perhaps  they 
thought  me  too  lean  to  make  them  a  suitable  meal,  and 
thus  let  me  pass,  while  looking  further  for  fatter  game. 

I  kept  on,  with  now  and  then  a  little  rest.  About 
four  in  the  afternoon  I  came  to  a  point  or  bluff  which 
extended  out  some  way  into  the  ocean,  with  a  low  neck 
running  toward  the  sandhills  which  were  back  of  the 
beach  at  that  place.  I  climbed  over  the  neck,  thinking 
to  save  a  mile  or  two,  for  I  was  by  that  time  pretty  well 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD. 


TREADING  THE  MIXTURE  FOR  BRICKMAKING  IN  AUSTRALIA. 


6O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

tired  out.  When  I  mounted  to  the  top  of  the  neck  and 
looked  over,  my  heart  leaped  to  my  mouth.  Spread  out 
before  me  was  a  beautiful  river,  on  whose  banks,  dotted 
here  and  there,  were  little  cottages,  while  in  the  back 
ground  could  be  seen  the  verdure  of  many  a  native  plant 
and  shrub.  There  was  one  solitary  hut  not  far  ahead, 
toward  which  I  bent  my  steps  with  some  haste. 

As  I  approached  the  shanty  I  saw  a  very  pretty  young 
woman  standing  at  the  open  door.  I  gazed  with  admi 
ration,  while  she  looked  at  me  with  disgust  I  suppose  ;  for 
I  must  admit  I  was  rather  a  pitiable  looking  object,  being 
completely  worn  out.  She  opened  her  ruby  lips  and 
greeted  me  with,  "Why,  young  man,  you  look  as  if  you 
were  completely  worn  out."  I  answered  her  that  I  was, 
and  that  I  was  almost  choked,  as  I  had  drank  no  water 
since  the  night  before.  She  soon  supplied  me,  not  only 
with  water,  but  with  a  good  hearty  meal  of  sheep's  head 
and  pluck.  Not  long  after,  her  husband  came  in.  I 
learned  that  his  name  was  Salter.  He  was  accompanied 
by  another  man,  whose  name  was  Penny,  for  whom 
Salter  was  employed  in  making  brick.  I  soon  struck  a 
bargain  with  Penny  to  help  them  make  bricks.  Although 
I  had  never  seen  a  brick  made,  I  was  willing  to  learn 
how.  The  next  morning  we  started  for  the  brickyard, 
which  was  about  two  miles  back  from  the  coast,  in  the 
forest.  The  yard  consisted  of  nothing  but  a  few  boards 
put  together  on  the  ground  like  a  mortar  bed,  into  which 
a  few  wheelbarrow  loads  of  clay  were  thrown,  with  a  load 
or  two  of  sand.  Then  the  process  began  with  slashing 
and  cutting  at  the  pile  with  a  long  wooden  sword. 
When  pretty  well  hewn  down,  we  would  strip  off  shoes 
and  stockings  and  wade  in  and  tread  and  mix  the  clay 
and  sand  in  that  way  until  it  was  in  condition  to  mould. 
I  found  it  hard  for  my  feet  for  the  first  two  or  three  days, 
but  did  not  complain.  Not  only  was  I  learning  the  trade, 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  6 1 

but  was  getting  my  food,  which  was  the  main  considera 
tion  with  me  just  then. 

I  served  about  two  weeks'  apprenticeship  at  the  clay 
pile,  keeping  my  eyes  open  during  the  time  for  some 
thing  better  than  brickmaking.  There  were  soldiers 
stationed  near  by  the  place  ;  and  the  lieutenant  who  was 
in  command  of  them  seemed  a  very  fine  officer.  I  had 
become  somewhat  acquainted  with  him,  while  passing 
frequently  near  his  quarters.  Meeting  me  one  day,  he 
inquired  how  I  liked  brickmaking.  I  replied  that  I  did 
not  like  the  business.  He  then  asked  how  I  would  like 
to  go  out  a  few  miles  into  the  country  with  him  to  help 
him  get  a  few  tons  of  hay.  I  told  him  I  should  like  to 
go,  and  that  I  was  more  used  to  that  kind  of  work  than 
making  bricks.  He  informed  me  what  day  he  was  going 
to  start,  and  said  if  I  wanted  to  go  to  be  ready.  When 
the  appointed  day  came,  he  did  not  have  to  wait  for  me. 
I  notified  Mr.  Penny  that  I  had  found  work  that  suited 
me  better,  and  left  him  without  further  notice. 

There  were  four  in  our  haying  party.  We  travelled 
about  twenty  miles,  and  were  three  weeks  making  about 
one  ton  of  hay.  The  blades  of  grass  were  few  and  far 
between.  My  work  was  not  very  hard ;  for  the  lieu 
tenant  often  took  me  and  two  natives,  with  a  couple  of 
dogs,  to  go  out  after  kangaroo,  which  were  numerous, 
and  we  used  to  keep  the  camp  supplied  with  fresh  meat. 

The  manner  in  which  the  white  people  catch  the  kanga 
roo  is  very  interesting.  They  have  large  dogs,  called 
kangaroo  dogs,  trained  expressly  to  hunt  this  animal.  They 
range  in  value  from  fifty  to  five  hundred  dollars.  Two 
dogs  and  one  or  two  natives  are  taken  along  to  hunt. 
The  kangaroo  is  generally  found  in  herds  of  ten  to 
twenty,  sometimes  more  ;  occasionally  only  two  or  three 
are  found  together.  Very  much  depends  upon  the 
season  of  the  year.  When  the  game  is  sighted,  the  dogs 


62  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

start  out,  and  the  kangaroo  is  away  at  the  first  jump  of 
the  dog. 

A  well-trained  dog  will  soon  run  one  down,  kill  it,  and 
return  to  his  master,  who  looks  in  the  dog's  mouth.  If 
he  has  killed  the  kangaroo  there  will  always  be  found 
some  hair  in  the  corners  of  his  mouth.  The  master  tells 
the  dog  to  find  him,  and  he  starts  off  on  a  trot  leading  di 
rectly  to  the  dead  animal.  The  hunters  take  the  natives 
along  to  pack  and  tow  in  the  game,  and  to  track  it.  When 
hunting  kangaroo  and  they  discover  a  trail,  the  natives 
track  the  animals  much  better  than  the  dogs.  The 
kangaroo  dog  goes  by  sight,  and  not  by  scent.  It  has 
been  said  that  the  Australian  natives  track  by  instinct, 
but  such  is  not  the  case ;  for  the  one  who  made  the  dis 
covery  of  myself  under  the  old  log  could  have  tried  his 
skill  on  a  new  trail,  for  I  certainly  did  not  try  to  cover  up 
my  tracks. 

The  kangaroo  has  a  long  claw,  like  a  finger,  only 
much  longer,  with  a  talon  at  the  end  ;  from  the  point  of 
that  talon  to  the  heel  of  the  male  is  nearly  two  feet. 
They  stand  on  the  lower  parts  of  their  legs,  and  their  tail 
rests  on  the  ground  back  of  them  some  two  feet,  in  such 
a  way  that  it  acts  as  a  spring.  When  they  run,  they  give 
a  spring  with  their  hind  legs  and  a  push  with  their  tail 
at  the  same  time.  Every  time  they  strike  they  leave  a 
mark  with  that  long  claw.  The  tail  is  not  used  after  the 
first  spring,  but  is  elevated  a  little  above  the  ground. 
The  tail  of  a  large  male  is  about  four  feet  long,  and  some 
four  inches  broad  at  the  body,  and  tapers  down  to  about 
one  inch  at  the  end.  It  is  brought  into  use  when  the 
animal  is  feeding ;  he  rests  on  his  shanks  and  tail,  and 
will  reach  forward  as  far  as  he  can,  then  he  puts  down 
his  two  fore  paws,  which  are  quite  short,  and  draws  his 
tail  up,  keeping  about  eighteen  inches  of  the  end  of  it 
snug  to  the  ground,  while  the  other  part  is  bent  up  in 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  63 

the  form  of  a  bow.  Their  weight  is  then  on  their  tail 
and  fore  feet :  they  lift  their  hind  feet  together  and  swing 
them  forward,  placing  them  on  the  ground  again.  In 
this  manner  they  make  a  different  track  from  that  made 
when  jumping.  As  they  drag  the  tail  it  bends  the  grass 
the  way  the  animal  is  going,  his  fore  feet  also  leave 
marks  as  well.  When  the  native  is  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  kangaroo  feeding  grounds,  he  scans  the  grounds 
closely,  and  when  he  sees  the  dry  grass  bent  over  he 
drops  down  on  his  hands  and  knees  to  examine  the 
ground.  He  will  soon  tell  which  way  the  animal  was 
travelling,  and,  if  feeding,  will  find  the  marks  made  by 
his  tail  and  fore  feet.  The  native,  keeping  the  tracks  in 
view  until  he  finally  loses  them,  will  very  soon  find 
the  last  track  of  the  fore  paws  and  tail  ;  and  on  looking 
very  closely,  he  observes  the  two  marks  made  by  the 
long  claw  or  finger  on  each  hind  foot.  He  knows  by 
this  time  how  large  the  animal  is  by  the  marks  left  by 
the  tail  and  fore  paws,  and  he  knows  about  how  far  the 
animal  will  jump,  and  also  whether  the  animal  was 
frightened  or  not.  He  soon  gets  his  eye  on  the  spot 
where  the  dry  grass  is  bent  down,  with  one  or  both  of 
the  toe  scratches. 

His  knowledge  of  the  tracks  of  the  different  animals  is 
so  excellent  that  when  the  track  is  found  he  will  start  off 
on  a  trot  and  keep  that  gait  up  until  he  starts  the  animal 
from  his  lair  or  his  feeding  ground.  If  large  game  hap 
pens  to  pass,  while  on  the  run,  over  several  yards  of  ledge, 
they  invariably  leave  some  slight  scratches,  and  then  the 
native  has  the  course,  which  is  generally  nearly  a  straight 
one.  I  became  quite  expert  in  the  art  of  tracking  the 
kangaroo  before  leaving  the  country. 

There  is  many  a  sorry-looking  dog  after  the  chase  is 
over.  If  the  dog  is  green  or  not  properly  trained,  he 
will  attack  at  once  after  running  the  kangaroo  to  bay, 


64  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

thinking  that  he  has  the  killing  all  his  own  way,  but  he 
soon  finds  out  to  his  sorrow  that  he  is  not  alone  in  the 
fight.  The  kangaroo  strikes  out  with  that  long  claw  and 
strikes  the  dog  in  the  head  or  neck,  and  sends  him  a  rod 
or  two  through  the  air.  After  a  kick  or  two,  the  plucky 
dog  renews  the  attack,  but  somewhat  on  his  guard,  hav 
ing  learned  cautiousness  by  experience.  He  then  plays 
about  the  animal,  worrying  him  until  he  gets  him  tired 
out,  and  then  when  a  good  chance  offers  catches  the 
kangaroo  by  the  neck,  and  after  pulling  him  down  it 
takes  but  a  short  time  for  the  dog  to  despatch  him. 

Dogs  sometimes  have  their  heads  and  necks  so  terri 
bly  lacerated  that  they  have  to  be  doctored  many  weeks 
before  they  go  out  again  on  the  chase.  The  kangaroo 
has  been  known  to  catch  small  dogs  in  their  fore  paws 
and  carry  them  to  a  pool  of  water  and  hold  them  under 
the  surface  till  they  were  drowned. 

The  white  people  never  save  the  fore  quarters  ;  the  hind 
quarters,  tail,  and  hide  are  all  that  are  carried  from  the  field. 
The  hind  quarters  make  good  steak  or  meat  to  stew,  but  is 
rather  dry,  having  no  fat.  The  tail  makes  excellent 
soup,  much  better  to  my  taste  than  ox  tail  or  turtle.  All 
the  fat  on  the  animal  is  in  the  tail.  The  fore  quarters  are 
little  else  than  bones  and  claws.  I  used  to  think  that  if 
some  enterprising  Yankee  was  there,  he  might  start  an 
industry  and  make  a  fortune  gathering  up  the  kangaroo 
fore  quarters  and  canning  them  for  the  sailors.  They 
would  keep  in  any  climate,  and  would  come  handy  for  the 
cook  failing  to  find  odds  and  ends  enough  for  the  scouse, 
pot;  the  preparation  might  season  if  it  did  not  fatten. 

After  three  weeks  of  haying  and  hunting,  we  re 
turned  to  town.  Lieut.  Northy  paid  me  with  two  sover 
eigns,  the  first  money  I  had  seen  since  leaving  Boston. 
It  soon  burned  a  hole  through  my  pocket,  but  I  was 
looking  about  for  employment  before  the  bottom  of  my 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  65 

pocket  dropped  out.  I  soon  found  a  carpenter  named 
Leighton,  who  some  three  years  before  came  from  Lon 
don,  England.  He  had  a  large  shop,  covered  with  what 
is  called  paper  bark,  light  colored  and  about  one  inch 
thick.  The  bark  can  be  split  to  the  thickness  of  letter 
paper.  It  is  taken  from  trees  in  strips  about  three  feet 
wide  and  from  eight  to  ten  feet  long,  then  split  to  the 
desired  thickness  and  sewed  to  frames.  The  natives  use 
it  to  make  huts  very  much  like  an  American  Indian  wig 
wam.  When  the  natives  move,  the  females  pack  the 
bark  on  their  backs. 

To  my  surprise,  I  found  my  old  shipmate  Long  Jim 
here,  and  learned,  through  him,  that  two  or  three  sailors 
besides  myself  had  run  away  from  the  ship  at  Geograph 
Bay.  He  was  at  work  for  Mr.  Leighton,  and  through 
him  I  obtained  work  at  the  same  place,  with  the  promise 
of  two  sovereigns  a  month  and  board.  I  thought  it 
would  suit  me  better  to  be  a  carpenter  than  a  brickmaker 
or  to  follow  farming. 

The  wood  commonly  used  there  was  mahogany.  It 
resembled  the  Honduras  very  much  in  color,  and  some  of 
it  was  quite  soft.  It  sank  quite  readily  in  water.  There 
were  many  other  kinds  of  trees  in  that  part  of  the  coun 
try,  but  mahogany  was  the  most  common.  Houses, 
fences,  and  boats  were  built  of  it.  I  helped  build  a 
bridge  with  it,  also  a  brig  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons 
burden. 

Mr.  Leighton  had  worked  on  the  king's  palace  in  Eng 
land  when  King  George  was  alive.  He  said  when  the 
king  came,  all  dropped  to  their  knees  until  the  king  had 
passed.  I  told  him  no  Yankee  would  do  that.  He  re 
plied  that  it  was  done  out  of  respect  to  their  sovereign. 
He  brought  from  England  a  chest  of  tools  that  cost 
him  $2,500.  Then  all  woodwork  was  done  by  hand, 
and  he  had  a  tool  for  everything  used  in  woodworking. 


66  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

He  had  some  fifteen  men  at  work  when  he  employed 
me,  and  in  less  than  one  year  all  left  him  but  myself.  He 
got  to  drinking  very  hard,  and  neglected  his  business, 
soon  going  from  bad  to  worse.  I  remained  with  him  for 
nearly  three  years.  We  used  to  do  about  enough  to  pay 
for  our  food  and  to  furnish  him  with  beer. 

One  day  a  vessel  from  England  came  into  the  harbor 
with  emigrants.  Among  them  was  a  young  Italian 
woman  whose  father  was  the  modeller  in  marble  of  the 
big  elephant  which  was  shot  in  London  a  few  years  pre 
vious  to  her  emigration.  Mr.  Leighton  married  her  in 
about  three  weeks  after  she  landed.  That  stopped  his 
drinking  for  a  short  time,  but  after  a  little  he  began 
drinking  again  worse  than  ever.  I  frequently  led  him 
home  and  put  him  to  bed,  for  his  wife  could  do  nothing 
with  him 

During  this  period  I  had  plenty  of  time  to  study  the 
natives,  the  habits,  costumes,  and  peculiarities  which  be 
longed  to  that  people  exclusively. 

In  1843,  when  the  great  comet  of  that  year  became 
visible,  it  was  seen  in  Australia  in  all  its  beauty  and 
grandeur,  and  viewed  with  wonder  and  astonishment  by 
many,  by  others  with  fear  and  dread.  Many  knew  or 
had  read  of  Miller,  the  Adventist,  and  thought  the  world 
was  coming  to  an  end. 

An  American  captain  with  his  ship,  which  belonged 
in  Fairhaven,  arrived  off  the  coast  when  the  comet  ap 
peared  in  sight.  He  thought  the  world  was  about  to 
collapse,  and  he  pointed  his  ship  for  the  Lashanault,  our 
port,  thinking,  perhaps,  that  he  could  run  faster  than  he 
could  swim,  with  the  result  that  some  of  the  ship's  ribs 
and  truck  are  rotting  to-day  on  the  sandy  shores  of 
Australia. 

In  common  with  my  old  friend  Mr.  Penny  of  the  brick 
yard  and  a  Mr.  Stafford,  an  American  from  Salem,  Mass., 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  67 

and  one  or  two  others,  I  went  off  in  the  night  in  a  long 
boat  to  the  ship.  We  saw  that  she  was  going  ashore. 
The  bay  at  that  time  was  a  mass  of  rolling  billows,  but 
there  were  stout  hearts  and  strong  limbs  in  the  boat,  and 
we  made  the  ship  and  were  pulled  in  over  the  stern.  She 
was  aground,  and  we  could  do  nothing  but  send  down  a 
few  spars.  In  the  morning  the  wind  abated  a  little.  We 
got  out  her  anchors  and  hove  her  into  deep  water  again. 
In  the  afternoon  the  gale  renewed  its  fury  and%drove  her 
up  high  and  dry.  The  captain  thought  it  impossible  to 
float  her  again,  and  after  two  or  three  weeks  unloading, 
she  was  sold  for  two  hundred  pounds  sterling.  The 
captain  sold"  the  effects  and  started  for  home  to  wait  a 
little  longer  before  he  started  for  that  foreign  shore  so  far 
away  and  yet  so  painfully  near  to  him.  The  vessel  was  the 
"  North  America,"  of  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  and  the  men  who 
bought  her  were  two  brothers,  who,  after  a  week's  work, 
got  her  afloat  off  shore,  where  she  lay  for  three  weeks, 
apparently  sound  and  perfectly  tight.  They  were  about 
ready  to  start  with  her  to  Freemantle,  a  port  at  Swan 
River.  The  day  before  they  were  to  sail  she  began  to 
leak  so  badly  they  could  not  keep  her  afloat,  and  finally 
they  had  to  let  her  go  on  to  the  beach,  where  they  broke 
her  up. 

Some  of  her  ribs  are  yet  bleaching  on  that  sandy  beach 
not  far  from  the  spot  where  a  ship  called  the  "  Samuel 
Wright,"  from  New  Bedford,  commanded  by  a  Capt. 
Coffin,  was  cast  away  a  few  years  previous  to  the  wreck 
of  the  "  North  America." 

One  summer  we  found  ourselves  running  very  short 
of  provisions.  For  three  months  we  lived  on  sheep's 
head  and  pluck  for  meat,  and  rice  for  bread,  and  we  were 
without  tobacco.  During  that  time  I  spent  hours  hunt 
ing  over  piles  of  shavings  in  the  shop  for  old  stumps 
and  bits  of  tobacco.  It  was  like  hunting  for  diamonds, 


68  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

every  one  that  was  found  was  valued  as  one  might  a  gem 
of  the  first  water.  At  this  time  hearing  that  there  was 
an  American  whaler  lying  at  Geograph  Bay,  I  started  at 
once  for  the  Bay,  where  I  obtained  a  month  or  two's 
supply  of  tobacco  and  returned.  At  another  time, 
when  I  was  out  of  the  weed,  I  persuaded  a  native 
to  loiter  around  the  house  of  the  chief  judge  of  the 
place,  knowing  the  judge  used  tobacco.  The  natives  have 
access  to  all  parts  of  the  settlers'  dwellings.  They  seldom 
steal,  nor  do  they  smoke ;  but  this  old  native  was  very 
friendly  to  me,  and  quite  willing  to  filch  tobacco  for  me. 
He  seldom  came  out  of  the  judge's  parlors  without  half  a 
plug  of  Yankee  tobacco  tucked  under  his  skin  cloak. 

Finding  that  I  was  not  getting  rich  very  fast  at  Leigh- 
ton's,  while  he  was  getting  drunk  nearly  every  day,  I 
finally  informed  him  that  I  could  not  remain  longer  with 
him,  but  was  going  down  to  Geograph  Bay  and  see  what 
I  could  find  to  do  there.  I  had  learned  the  trade  so  well 
that  I  thought  myself  capable  of  building  a  house,  and 
make  my  own  bricks  also,  if  need  be.  Mr.  Leighton 
objected  to  have  me  leave  him,  but  I  had  determined 
to  start  in  business  for  myself.  Finding  moral  suasion 
unsuccessful,  he  concluded  to  let  me  go,  and  gave  me 
quite  a  kit  of  tools,  which  I  gratefully  received  and 
shipped  for  Geograph  Bay.  There  I  located  at  a  farm 
house,  hung  out  my  sign,  and  was  soon  ready  for  any 
kind  of  a  job.  I  soon  got  one,  the  first  and  the  last  in 
that  locality.  An  Irishwoman  came  to  me  one  morn 
ing  and  said  that  her  little  boy  had  died  the  day  before, 
and  she  wanted  a  coffin  made  for  the  little  fellow.  I 
was  ready  to  make  it  for  her.  She  wanted  to  know  the 
cost,  and  I  informed  her  that  I  could  make  it  for  her  for 
about  ten  shillings. 

"  Oh! "  said  she,  "  that  is  too  much  ;  I  cannot  afford  to 
pay  that." 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  69 

I  did  not  wish  to  drive  away  my  first  customer,  as  it 
might  injure  my  business,  so  told  her,  as  she  was  poor,  I 
would  get  her  up  something  for  eight  shillings. 

"  Why,"  said  she,  "  I  cannot  pay  even  that  much."  I 
thought  she  was  trying  to  drive  a  close  bargain.  "  Well," 
said  she,  "  I  will  give  you  two  pounds  of  butter,  since  I 
have  not  got  any  money  at  all,  at  all." 

I  thought  the  matter  over,  wondering  what  I  could  do 
with  two  pounds  of  butter.  Finally,  I  concluded  to  take 
the  butter,  as  Geograph  Bay  was  often  visited  by  the 
whalers,  and  I  thought  I  might  trade  it  for  tobacco  or 
something  that  would  sell  for  cash,  so  accepted  the 
woman's  offer  for  the  coffin,  but  told  her  she  must 
not  tell  what  she  gave  me  for  the  job.  She  promised, 
and  was  very  profuse  with  her  thanks.  I  made  the 
box  and  delivered  it  to  her.  She  said  that  in  a  few  days 
she  would  pay  me.  The  net  result  of  that  job  was  one 
pair  of  shoe  soles  faithfully  worn  out  running  for  that 
butter,  which  never  materialized.  My  business  venture 
did  not  meet  with  success,  for  I  found  there  was  neither 
money  nor  butter  in  that  locality  for  me. 

I  left  the  place  and  began  work  on  a  farm,  and  helped 
the  owner  to  cut  some  ten  acres  of  wheat.  While  help 
ing  the  farmer  an  American  whaler  came  into  port,  and 
a  boat  came  ashore  with  the  colored  steward.  He 
came  to  the  farm  and  said  the  ship  was  to  start  for  home 
in  about  three  months.  I  gave  him  a  letter,  and  a  por 
trait  of  myself  that  I  had  paid  a  friend  to  paint  for  me,  by 
making  a  box  to  keep  his  brushes  and  paints  in.  The 
letter  and  picture  were  all  the  tidings  my  friends  received 
of  me  during  the  seven  years  of  my  absence. 

After  the  harvest  I  gave  my  tools  away  and  started  for 
Swan  River,  arriving  there  in  due  time.  I  put  up  at  a 
hotel  for  a  few  days,  and  did  little  jobs  around  for  my  board. 
After  a  while  I  met  a  man  whose  business  was  to  saw 
lumber  by  hand.  He  wanted  me  to  dig  pits  for  him. 


7O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

A  pit  is  dug  in  the  ground  about  five  feet  deep,  about 
twenty  feet  long,  and  five  wide.  Skids  are  laid  across 
the  pit  so  the  logs  when  rolled  upon  them  will  be 
about  six  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  pit.  When  the 
log  is  in  position,  one  man  stands  in  the  bottom  of  the 
pit  while  the  other  stands  on  the  log ;  then  they  proceed 
to  saw  and  make  the  log  into  boards.  After  working 
two  weeks  at  pit  digging,  the  man  who  engaged  me  went 
to  a  place  called  Murray  River  to  saw  timber  for  a  brig 
which  he  was  to  build.  He  and  a  partner  did  business 
under  the  name  of  Morris  &  Wested ;  they  took  a 
number  of  men,  and  I  went  with  them.  We  all  camped 
in  the  woods,  and  a  cook  was  needed,  so  they  put  me 
to  cooking.  They  taught  me  to  make  what  they  called 
dampers,  that  being  what  they  call  their  bread.  They 
first  make  a  hot  fire;  a  good  bed  of  ashes  and  coals 
obtained,  they  put  the  dough  into  the  hot  ashes  and 
cover  it  up.  It  will  bake  or  roast  in  this  manner,  and 
comes  out  in  fine  condition,  and  is  very  palatable. 

Bread  baked  in  that  way  is  much  better  than  in  an 
oven,  and  far  sweeter.  The  ashes  brush  off  and  leave 
the  bread  white  and  perfectly  clean.  The  flavor  is 
retained  by  the  ashes,  and  the  bread  is  better. 

My  adventures  were  various  during  the  eleven  months 
of  my  stay  in  that  place.  A  young  man  about  my  age 
tended  a  sort  of  country  store  that  Mr.  Morris  kept  at 
Freemantle.  I  call  him  Mr.  S.  He  will  figure  prominently 
later  in  my  adventures  and  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 
His  father  was  a  wealthy  merchant  and  a  member  of  the 
London  Stock  Exchange.  Something  like  myself,  he 
wanted  to  see  the  world,  so  his  father  gave  him  ,£1,000 
a  year  for  spending  money,  and  sent  him  to  Swan  River. 
He  used  to  spend  his  allowance  in  three  or  four  months, 
having  what  he  thought  was  a  "  good  time."  He  was 
not  one  who  would  sit  down  and  suck  his  thumbs  after 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  7  I 

his  money  was  gone  and  wait  for  another  remittance,  but 
would  pitch  in  and  do  anything  to  bring  him  an  honest 
loaf  of  bread. 

When  I  first  knew  him  he  was  tending  Mr.  Morris's 
store.  I  was  wanted  in  the  woods  to  dig  pits,  and,  since 
business  was  not  very  brisk  at  the  store,  Mr.  S.  came  to 
Murray  River  and  took  my  position  as  cook  for  the 
camp. 

He  held  that  lofty  position  for  the  eleven  months  I 
was  there,  and  how  much  longer,  after  I  left,  I  never 
knew. 

A  gentleman  lived  not  far  from  the  banks  of  the  river 
whose  name  was  Peel.  His  brother  was  Prime  Minister 
of  England.  He  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  in  that 
locality,  and  it  was  said  that  he  bought  it  of  the  English 
government  for  sixpence  an  acre. 

I  was  told  by  a  friend,  a  few  years  later,  that  he  gave  it 
back  to  the  government,  as  he  could  not  pay  for  it.  The 
land  was  poor  and  sandy,  but  well  timbered  with  mahog 
any  and  other  timber  common  to  the  country. 

Mr.  Peel  gave  Mr.  Morris  permission  to  cut  all  the 
timber  he  wanted  from  his  land.  We  had  to  scour  the 
forest  for  what  natural  crooks,  bends,  and  knees  we 
wanted,  which  consisted  of  one  or  two  thousand  acres. 
That  place  is  now  called  Peel. 

There  were  but  three  buildings  at  Murray  River  at  that 
time,  and  they  were  mere  log-cabins.  Up  the  river 
about  ten  miles  was  a  small  hamlet  called  Penjarah.  I 
soon  learned  to  saw  boards  and  planks,  so  I  was  kept  at 
that,  and  others  dug  the  pits.  I  cut  one  tree  called  by 
the  settlers  tuit,  a  very  hard  and  close-grained  wood,  and 
very  hard  to  split.  This  tree  was  twenty  inches  at  the 
ground,  and  from  it  were  taken  two  sticks  four  by 
eight  and  eighty  feet  long,  without  a  waney  edge  on 
either  one.  How  much  longer  the  tree  was  I  do  not 


72  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

know,  as  I  did  not  measure  it.  This  statement  gives  some 
idea  of  the  height  of  small  trees  in  that  country.  The 
color  of  the  bark  on  this  species  is  something  like  that 
on  our  horse-chestnuts  and  about  as  thick.  The  wood  is 
of  a  light  color  ;  it  is  impossible  to  split  it,  and  it  looks 
like  the  lignum-vitae.  My  mate  and  myself  sawed  two 
stringers  for  the  brig  out  of  that  four  by  eight  stick, 
which  were  eighty  feet  long,  and  without  a  blemish  the 
entire  length.  Those  two  stringers  and  her  spars  were 
the  only  two  kinds  of  timber  in  the  entire  vessel  differ 
ing  from  mahogany,  which  composed  the  balance  of  the 
ship.  Mahogany  was  shipped  by  them  to  England  for 
ship's  planking,  it  being  commonly  said  that  the  worms 
would  not  work  in  it. 

I  was  in  the  habit  of  going  to  Swan  River,  forty  miles 
above,  about  every  two  months  after  sheep  that  Mr. 
Morris  would  have  driven  to  that  place,  and  from  there  to 
the  river  below,  on  which  to  feed  his  men.  On  the  road 
out  I  frequently  met  my  friend  S.  going  to  town  to  spend 
a  few  days. 

When  I  had  a  little  change  in  my  pocket,  knowing 
that  he  had  none  since  Morris  paid  about  all  his  debts 
with  promises,  I  would  say,  "  S.,  have  you  any  money?" 
"  No,"  he  would  invariably  answer,  "  not  a  red." 
"  Here  is  half  a  crown,  it  will  pay  for  your  dinner." 
He  would  then  push  on  to  town,  having  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  he  was  not   "  broke.''      I   always    felt 
quite  independent  when  I  could  feel  a  coin  in  my  pocket, 
let  it  be  ever  so  small,  and  I  thought  that  was  the  way  S. 
would  feel  on  arriving  in  town. 

I  may  mention  a  little  incident  that  happened  one  day 
when  I  was  at  Freemantle  after  sheep,  to  show  how 
easily  a  young  fellow  can  get  into  trouble  where  there  are 
meddlesome  people  around  who  do  not  stop  to  investi 
gate,  but  who  jump  at  swift  conclusions.  If  people 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  73 

would  only  investigate  a  little,  they  would  save  them 
selves  a  great  amount  of  misery  and  trouble. 

A  little  mistake  of  a  lady  nearly  caused  me  to  lose  my 
situation.  On  my  arrival  in  town  I  was  sometimes 
obliged  to  wait  two  or  three  days  for  the  sheep  to  arrive 
from  over  "  the  hills."  The  general  store  of  the  place 
was  in  a  double  house,  one  part  being  used  as  a  store, 
and  the  other  as  a  tenement,  and  its  occupant  was  a 
meddlesome  lady.  The  store  was  closed  since  its  clerk 
had  been  promoted  to  cook,  and  the  key  was  left  at  the 
next  door.  While  waiting  for  the  sheep  I  was  permitted 
to  occupy  the  store  until  the  drove  arrived. 

Near  the  store  lived  a  woman  whose  husband  was  at 
work  on  the  vessel  which  we  were  building.  She  was 
considered  of  rather  doubtful  character,  as  gossip  went. 
On  one  trip  her  husband  was  coming  in  with  the  sheep 
from  the  hills,  and  was  expected  to  help  me  drive  them 
down  to  Murray  River.  I  had  to  wait  two  or  three  days 
for  him,  but  found  enough  in  the  store  to  cook,  excepting 
meat.  To  supply  this  need  I  went  to  the  butcher's  and 
bought  a  leg  of  mutton,  and  salted  it  well,  as  I  supposed, 
from  a  barrel  of  salt  found  in  the  store,  then  carried  it 
to  the  next  door  to  let  the  lady  bake  it  for  me.  Soon 
after  my  roast  was  under  way,  the  other  lady  came  in  and 
said  that  since  her  husband  was  going  down  with  me,  we 
would  need  something  to  eat  on  the  road,  and  if  I  would 
give  her  a  bowl  of  flour,  she  would  bake  a  few  biscuits 
for  us.  I  was  very  glad  to  do  so,  thinking  that  what 
meat  I  did  not  eat  while  waiting,  with  the  biscuits,  would 
last  us  during  our  trip  down  to  the  river.  The  next-door 
neighbor  saw  her  come  with  an  empty  bowl,  and  go  away 
with  it  full.  I  went  for  my  mutton,  which  was  nicely 
baked.  She  said  nothing  to  me  about  the  flour.  I  got 
my  biscuits  and  sat  down  to  my  repast.  From  a  slice  of 
the  rich  brown  roast  I  took  a  good  mouthful,  but  it  came 


74  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

out  quicker  than  it  went  in.  I  found,  upon  investigation, 
that  I  had  salted  the  mutton  with  saltpetre  instead  of 
salt.  Mr.  Wested  came  in  during  the  day,  and  I  gave 
the  roast  to  him,  which  he  devoured  with  apparent  relish. 
My  friend  did  not  go  down  with  me  as  was  expected, 
nor  did  the  roast,  but  I  was  supplied  with  bread. 

The  distance  from  Freemantle  to  Murray  River  is  forty 
miles,  very  dry  and  sandy,  with  but  one  place  where 
water  could  be  had,  and  that  scarcely  large  enough  to 
satisfy  a  dog's  thirst. 

A  large  number  of  native  dogs  prowl  around  those 
wild  deserts.  .They  are  as  ravenous  as  wolves,  and 
a  few  of  them  will  soon  destroy  a  large  flock  of  sheep 
by  sucking  their  blood.  I  started  out  at  sunrise  with 
twenty  sheep  ahead  of  me,  and  pushed  on  rapidly,  know 
ing  that  if  night  overtook  me  I  would  not  have  many 
sheep  to  drive  in  the  morning.  I  came  to  the  little  water 
hole  about  mid-day.  It  was  very  dry  and  hot.  I  drove 
my  flock  up  to  the  hole,  which  was  about  large  enough 
for  one  sheep  to  get  his  nose  into.  They  would  look  at 
the  hole,  and  then  jumped  over  it,  one  after  another, 
until  they  had  all  passed  over.  I  found  it  was  no  use 
tying  to  get  them  to  drink,  for  I  was  losing  valuable  time  ; 
and  every  one  who  knows  anything  about  sheep  knows 
they  are  something  as  a  woman  is  said  to  be,  for  when 
she  says  she  wont,  she  won't,  and  it  is  no  use  to  coax  her. 

By  keeping  them  on  the  move  I  finally  arrived  at  the 
camp  just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  for  which  I  felt  grateful, 
as  a  little  previous  to  this  a  man  was  attacked  by  dogs  in 
the  night.  He  had  to  climb  a  black  boy  stump,  and  sit 
and  see  his  flock  killed  to  the  last  sheep  without  being 
able  to  prevent  it,  being  only  too  glad  to  think  himself 
out  of  their  reach,  although  his  perch  was  not  a  very 
comfortable  one. 

A  few  days  later  Mr.  Morris  came  down,  and  he  was 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  75 

not  long  in  finding  me.  He  wanted  to  know  why  I  gave 
that  woman  the  flour.  I  told  him,  and  he  was  satisfied  ; 
but  the  next-door  neighbor  would  not  be  convinced. 

The  carpenter  who  was  building  the  vessel  upon  which 
we  were  working  had  run  away  from  a  British  man-of- 
war,  on  which  he  was  carpenter.  Previous  to  beginning 
the  vessel  he  had  agreed  to  build  a  bridge  for  a  Mr. 
Moore  across  a  river  some  twenty  miles  above  Perth,  the 
capital  of  Western  Australia,  and  eleven  miles  above  the 
seaport  of  Freemantle.  When  the  carpenter  contracted 
to  build  this  vessel  he  left  the  bridge  unfinished,  but  his 
peculiar  way  of  doing  business  was  not  satisfactory,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  return  and  fulfil  his  contract.  He 
was  a  man  with  many  peculiarities,  and  one  of  the 
peculiar  features  about  his  personal  appearance  was  a 
large  wart  in  the  corner  of  his  left  eye.  It  was  as  large 
as  a  marble,  and  he  frequently  complained  about  its  pre 
venting  him  from  seeing  clearly.  I  asked  him  why  he 
did  not  have  it  removed. 

He  replied  that  the  doctors  on  board  the  man-of- 
war  said,  if  it  was  cut  out,  he  would  bleed  to  death  ;  and 
since  he  was  not  ready  to  die,  he  let  it  remain,  although 
it  troubled  him  greatly. 

I  offered  to  remove  it,  and  guaranteed  that  the  opera 
tion  would  not  hurt  nor  kill. 

He  said  that  if  I  would  do  so,  he  would  give  me  two 
sovereigns,  to  which  I  agreed. 

One  Sunday  morning  I  informed  him  I  was  ready  to 
perform  the  operation.  The  men  not  being  at  work, 
they  gathered  around  to  see  the  operation  performed. 

I  wanted  some  fun  with  the  fellow,  and  gave  the  boys 
a  hint.  One  man  wanted  to  know  if  it  would  not  be 
well  to  strap  him  to  the  table,  while  another  thought 
they  could  hold  him. 

I  told  them  it  would  not  be  necessary,  but  they  might 


76  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

lock  the  door  and  guard  the  windows  and  also  the 
chimney,  if  they  thought  there  would  be  any  danger.  I 
asked  the  victim  if  he  would  let  them  hold  him.  He 
answered,  l'No,"  saying  further,  that  if  the  operation 
was  going  to  kill  him,  he  wanted  one  last  chance  to  kick 
before  his  life  was  snuffed  out. 

I  reminded  him  that  I  had  agreed  not  to  hurt  him,  and 
that  I  would  not  do  so. 

I  had  at  home  practised  on  my  own  warts.  I  thought 
a  successful  operation  of  this  magnitude  in  the  colonies 
might  establish  my  reputation,  and  my  fortune  would  be 
certain.  I  could  make  brick,  build  houses  and  ships,  but 
there  was  no  money  in  any  of  those  trades  for  me.  This 
operation,  however,  bid  fair  to  yield  me  more  money 
than  I  had  seen  for  years.  I  called  for  a  pair  of  scissors 
and  a  silk  thread.  The  contractor,  seated  before  me, 
began  to  look  pale,  and,  as  he  used  a  deal  of  tobacoo,  I 
told  him  a  good  smoke  would  quiet  his  nerves. 

He  consented,  and  the  way  he  blew  out  the  smoke  one 
might  think  it  was  to  be  his  last  indulgence.  Finally, 
laying  aside  his  pipe,  he  announced  that  he  was  ready. 

I  simply  tied  the  thread  around  the  wart,  drew  the 
ends  tight  and  cut  them  off,  leaving  half  an  inch  hanging 
down  on  his  cheek,  and  told  him  that  he  would  have  to 
wait  a  few  hours  before  the  operation  would  be  complete. 
The  wart  soon  began  to  turn  black  and  in  three  hours  it 
was  jet  black. 

My  patient  began  to  be  uneasy  for  fear  his  head  might 
turn  black  and  drop  off.  He  hastened  to  a  little  glass 
that  hung  against  the  wall  and  began  to  pick  at  the  ends 
of  the  thread  that  hung  down,  and  the  wart  dropped  into 
his  hand.  He  came  to  me  at  once  with  joy  in  his  eye, 
and  upon  examination  there  was  scarcely  a  mark  where 
the  wart  had  been.  I  told  him  that  he  would  have  no 
further  trouble  with  it. 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  77 

He  was  very  profuse  with  his  thanks,  and  promised  to 
pay  me  soon,  saying  that  he  was  rather  short  just  then. 

His  stock  of  promises  held  out  well ;  and  when  he 
found  how  easy  he  had  been  rid  of  his  pet  wart,  he 
thought  he  might  pay  for  the  operation  in  the  same  easy 
way,  which  he  did. 

Finally,  his  stock  of  promises  gave  out  and  left  nothing 
to  pin  my  hopes  on,  and  to  my  disgust  they  also  gave 
out.  Thus  my  hope  of  establishing  a  new  profession 
began  in  smoke  and  ended  in  misty  promises.  He  might, 
I  thought,  have  written  to  the  queen  what  a  wonderful 
operation  had  been  performed  by  a  young  American  who 
was  travelling  through  her  Majesty's  domain  in  the 
southern  hemisphere  for  health  and  pleasure,  and  who 
had  by  chance  stopped  at  that  town  and  volunteered 
without  charge  to  relieve  one  of  her  loyal  subjects  of  a 
troublesome  and  extraneous  growth,  and  had  performed 
an  operation  that  the  skilled  surgeons  on  her  Majesty's 
ships  dared  not  attempt.  I  thought  possibly  that  after  read 
ing  such  a  token  of  regard  for  me  from  one  of  her  sub 
jects,  if  she  did  not  send  me  a  pension  for  life,  she  might 
at  least  transport  me  from  that  place,  since  I  could  see 
no  future  operations  whereby  I  could  realize  sufficient 
cash  to  take  me  out  of  the  country.  Such  a  letter  might 
give  me  some  little  notoriety,  especially  in  that  country 
where  so  many  wealthy  men  had  preceded  me,  not  only 
for  their  own  health,  but  for  the  good  of  their  mother 
country.  Anything  would  be  accepted  with  thanks  at 
that  time  ;  but  alas  !  the  patient  forgot  that  he  ever  had 
a  wart. 

We  had  the  vessel  ready  to  plank,  when  the  carpenter 
received  a  letter  to  come  up  at  once  and  finish  the  bridge. 
He  was  threatened  with  suit  at  once  if  he  did  not  come 
and  fulfil  his  contract.  To  leave  then  would  place  Mr. 
Morris  in  a  tight  place,  but  there  was  no  other  way. 


78  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

The  two  owners,  the  carpenters,  and  two  other  men  went 
to  finish  the  bridge,  a  task  which  would  take  them  about 
four  weeks.  They  had  been  gone  only  about  a  week, 
when  one  evening  I  overheard  the  men  who  were  left 
behind,  some  eight  or  ten,  plotting  to  finish  the  vessel 
themselves.  They  had  received  no  money  for  their 
work,  since  money  was  one  of  the  exceptions  at  that 
place,  and  they  could  claim  the  whole  contract  money  for 
what  they  had  done.  I  knew  poor  old  Morris  had 
everything  at  stake  in  the  vessel ;  and  he  having  always 
treated  me  well,  although  unable  to  pay  me  money,  I 
could  not  consent  to  see  him  wronged. 

The  next  morning  I  took  a  lunch  and  started  for  Mr. 
Moore's,  nearly  seventy  miles  away.  After  two  days  of 
forced  travelling  I  reached  my  employers  and  laid  before 
them  what  was  going  on  at  the  vessel. 

Mr.  Wested  went  down  at  once  and  put  an  end  to 
their  plotting.  I  then  remained  and  helped  finish  the 
bridge.  It  was  at  this  time  that  I  first  began  to  feel 
homesick ;  the  nature  of  the  work  was  the  direct  cause  of 
my  homesickness.  We  had  to  put  together  two  piles 
with  a  cap  secured  to  the  top,  then  with  a  flat  boat,  with 
a  derrick  in  the  centre,  get  the  "  bents  "  into  the  right 
position.  With  a  wooden  monkey — a  log  of  wood  about 
twelve  inches  through  and  three  feet  long,  with  a  rope 
tied  to  one  end,  and  driven  through  a  block  at  the  top  of 
the  derrick  —  we  did  our  pile  driving.  We  would  hoist 
the  monkey  by  the  rope,  then  let  it  drop  :  if  it  hit  the 
mark,  the  pile  went  down  a  little ;  and  if  it  did  not  hit, 
why  the  monkey  went  farther  down  than  the  pile  did. 

After  a  week  of  hitting  and  missing,  we  got  four  bents 
driven  into  the  mud  so'  that  they  would  stand  without  a 
a  rope  to  hold  them  up,  which  was  a  very  poor  result 
for  our  labor.  Pulling  that  monkey  up  was  what  made 
me  homesick,  since  it  reminded  me  of  Boston,  where  I 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  79 

first  saw  pile  driving.  So  forcibly  was  I  reminded 
of  home  by  that  experience  that  I  could  not  keep  home 
out  of  mind  day  or  night  thereafter. 

We  got  the  bridge  finished  without  serious  mishap, 
though  we  thought  one  night  we  were  attacked  by 
savages.  We  slept  in  one  field  bed  ;  that  is,  we  slept 
on  the  ground,  in  an  old  deserted  cabin  with  many  big 
cracks  open,  and  no  door  to  close,  and  with  only  a  few 
logs  overhead.  In  the  middle  of  the  night,  when  all 
were  soundly  sleeping,  we  were  rudely  awakened  by  a 
monster  of  some  sort  falling  on  us.  There  appeared  to 
be  arms  or  claws  scooping  us  all  in,  and  each  thought 
he  was  the  particular  victim.  On  our  feet,  we  saw  the 
object  that  had  aroused  us  from  slumber  dart  away.  It 
was  the  Australian  iguana,  a  creature  much  like  a  lizard. 
It  has  a  body  about  twenty  inches  long  and  a  tail  about 
three  feet  long  ;  the  body  of  a  full-grown  one  measuring 
about  five  inches  across  the  back,  and  the  legs  are  about 
twelve  inches  long.  They  are  very  strong,  and  that  one 
particularly  was  very  lively,  at  least  while  struggling 
about  among  our  blankets.  The  natives  spear  them  and 
use  them  for  food. 

After  getting  the  bridge  so  that  a  man  could  pass  over  it 
in  safety,  we  returned  to  Murray  River,  but  I  did  not  get 
over  my  homesickness  and  longing  to  leave  the  country. 
I  found  plenty  of  work  but  no  money,  although  I  got 
along  pretty  well  without  the  latter.  Provisions  were 
cheap  and  plenty,  such  as  they  were,  and  good  enough, 
although  of  the  simplest  kind,  but  I  was  anxious  to  get 
where  I  could  handle  a  little  money. 

Our  blacksmith  leaving  about  this  time,  I  told  the  boss 
that  I  could  do  the  work,  so  he  set  me  to  making  bolts. 
I  served  a  brief  apprenticeship,  with  credit  to  myself  and 
possibly  honor  to  the  trade.  That  trade,  however,  like 
all  the  many  trades  which  I  had  mastered,  had  no  money 


8O  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

in  it.  All  the  money  I  had  received  since  I  had  left 
home  was  about  twenty  dollars  during  about  five  years 
of  work. 

Still  I  thought,  if  I  learned  all  the  trades,  I  might  yet 
see  the  day  and  place  where  I  could  earn  a  few  dollars 
by  my  knowledge  of  so  many  trades.  In  addition  to  the 
four  sovereigns  received,  I  had  also  a  promise  of  two 
pounds  of  butter. 

About  this  time  a  vessel  called  the  "  Falco,"  of  Lynn, 
Mass.,  Capt.  Mosely,  came  into  Swan  River.  She  was 
on  a  trading  voyage  around  the  world,  and  was  loaded 
with  all  the  Yankee  notions,  from  a  clock  to  a  canoe.  On 
board  was  a  man  named  Williams,  who  appeared  to  be 
the  supercargo.  He  was  also  an  American  consul, 
going  somewhere  to  represent  Uncle  Sam,  I  never 
learned  just  where,  and  I  don't  think  he  knew  himself;  he 
intended  probably  to  locate  where  he  found  the  most 
money,  since  he  concluded  not  to  stop  long  at  Swan 
River.  I  thought,  as  he  was  an  American  consul,  he  would 
be  obliged  to  look  after  the  interests  of  Americans  in 
foreign  countries,  especially  those  who  were  cast  away 
on  a  foreign  shore ;  and  wasn't  I  a  cast-away  sailor  and 
an  American  ?  To  be  sure,  I  was  cast  away  in  the  "  North 
America  "  at  the  Lashanault.  Armed  with  these  facts,  I 
hurried  to  town  and  to  the  hotel  where  the  consul  was 
staying.  Being  ushered  into  his  presence,  I  found  him 
in  all  his  regalia,  even  to  the  cocked  hat.  I  stated  my 
case,  and  he  appeared  to  appreciate  my  remarks,  and  said 
he  only  felt  too  happy  to  be  able  to  extend  a  helping 
hand  to  a  poor  fellow-countryman,  and  I  considered  it  a 
godsend  that  his  arrival  was  so  opportune.  It  was  un 
derstood  that  I  should  depart  with  him. 

Before  entering  upon  a  new  chapter  of  my  adventures, 
and  ere  I  leave  this  land  of  milk  and  honey,  I  would 
devote  a  few  descriptive  words  to  the  natives  and  to 
their  customs  and  habits. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  51 

The  natives  of  Australia  resemble  Kaffirs  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  and  the  natives  of  India  more  than  any 
other  peoples  I  have  seen.  About  medium  height,  they 
are  well  proportioned  and  have  invariably  double  teeth 
all  around  on  both  jaws,  in  which  they  appeared  to  be  es 
pecially  favored,  since  they  have  to  eat  very  tough,  half- 
cooked,  and  sometimes  raw  food.  They  wear  little  or 
nothing  in  the  warm  weather;  but  in  winter,  which  is  the 
rainy  season,  both  male  and  female,  when  it  is  chilly, 
wear  what  is  called  a  booker.  The  booker  is  a  kangaroo- 
skin,  with  two  corners  tied  together,  drawn  over  the  head. 
This  falls  over  the  shoulders  and  down  about  to  the 
knees. 

When  it  is  very  chilly  they  take  what  they  call  mongit, 
which  is  much  like  a  knot;  they  then  build  a  fire  with  a 
lot  of  these  knots.  They  place  these  knots  in  the  form 
of  a  star  with  many  points,  and  light  the  fire  in  the  cen 
tre.  The  knots  burn  very  slowly  and  last  for  many 
hours.  The  natives  will  start  one  of  these  fires  before 
going  on  a  journey  ;  then  when  ready  to  start  they  take 
one  of  the  brands,  which  has  had  time  to  become  thor 
oughly  lighted,  by  the  outer  end,  which  is  scarcely 
warm,  and  hold  it  with  both  hands  under  their  skin 
robes  and  in  front  of  them ;  the  heat  from  the  brand 
keeps  them  warm.  These  brands  will  last  hours  before 
they  are  consumed. 

If  the  natives  are  on  a  very  long  journey  and  the 
brand  should  burn  out  before  they  get  to  its  end,  if  they 
have  further  need  of  it,  they  stop  where  they  can  get 
two  dry  sticks,  usually  preferring  the  spindle  that  grows 
at  the  top  of  the  black  boy.  It  is  about  the  size  of  a  man's 
thumb,  and  has  a  dry  pith  in  the  centre.  They  take  two 
pieces  of  this,  making  a  notch  in  one  and  a  point  on  the 
other,  then  put  the  pointed  end  into  the  notch,  using 
a  flint  knife  with  which  to  do  their  whittling.  One  is 


82  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

placed  on  the  ground,  the  other  upright.  They  grasp  the 
upright  stick,  a  foot  perhaps  in  length,  with  both  hands, 
and  rub  back  and  forth,  their  hands  naturally  working 
downward.  When  near  the  bottom  they  let  go  and  grasp 
the  top  again,  and  so  quickly  the  stick  does  not  have  time 
to  fall.  In  this  way  a  dust  is  produced  at  the  bottom,  and 
fire  immediately  follows.  It  takes  about  a  minute  to  start 
a  fire,  and  then  their  knot  is  soon  aglow  again. 

The  weapons  used  by  the  Australians  in  war  or  in  the 
chase  are  the  glass  knife  or  flint,  the  stone  hatchet,  the 
spear,  the  shield,  and  that  wonderful  weapon  the  boom 
erang. 

The  knife  is  composed  of  a  stick  about  ten  inches 
long  and  an  inch  thick,  with  a  bit  of  glass  or  flint  stuck 
into  one  side  near  the  end,  which  is  held  on  with  black 
boy  gum.  The  stone  hatchet  has  a  handle  similar  to  the 
knife,  with  a  piece  of  flint  stone  about  two  inches  wide 
and  one  and  a  half  long,  shaped  like  a  flint  and  stuck  to 
the  handle  with  gum  like  the  knife.  The  other  end  of 
the  hatchet  handle  is  pointed.  The  spear  is  made  of 
wattle,  a  little  sapling  common  to  the  country.  The 
early  settlers  built  their  houses  of  it,  by  winding  strips 
of  wattle  between  posts  and  then  plastering  them  with 
mud,  which  was  called  wattling  and  daubing.  The 
natives  cut  the  wattles  with  their  hatchets,  and  then  cut 
them  into  lengths  of  about  six  feet  and  scrape  off  the 
bark.  Then  they  sit  down,  and  throwing  their  left  foot 
high  upon  their  right  thigh,  with  the  bottom  of  the  foot 
turned  up,  place  the  but-end  of  the  stick  on  the  ball  of 
the  heel,  with  the  other  end  extending  out  before  them, 
and  scrape  the  spear  down  to  a  point.  They  always  draw 
the  knife  toward  them,  using  their  heel  as  a  bench  for  all 
work  where  a  rest  or  support  is  required.  The  spear, 
when  pointed,  is  reversed  and  placed  between  the  toes 
of  the  right  foot ;  they  then  dig  a  small  hole  in  the  small 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD. 


^'S'^'--^'* 


AUSTRALIAN  CHIEF  IN  THE  ATTITUDE  TAKEN  WHEN  THROWING  THE  SPKAR. 


84  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

end  of  the  spear.  If  it  is  to  be  a  battle  spear,  they  at 
tach  glass  or  flint  near  the  point  with  gum.  This  makes 
it  a  formidable  weapon.  The  shield  is  a  flat  piece  of  wood 
about  two  feet  long  and  four  in  width,  three  eighths  of  an 
inch  thick  in  the  middle,  with  thin  edges,  and  it  also  tapers 
toward  the  ends,  where  it  is  about  one  half  an  inch  thick. 
On  one  end  is  a  knob  about  the  size  of  a  walnut,  and  on 
the  other  a  little  peg.  When  they  throw  the  spear  from  the 
shield,  they  slip  the  small  end  of  the  spear  on  to  the  peg, 
then  grasp  the  knob  end  between  the  fore  and  middle 
fingers  of  the  right  hand,  holding  the  spear  between  the 
thumb  and  forefinger.  They  advance  their  left  foot  and 
turn  their  left  side  to  whatever  they  wish  to  spear,  raise 
the  left  arm  bent  inward  a  little  above  the  shoulder. 
The  right  arm  is  extended  at  length,  while  the  spear 
rests  on  the  left  near  the  elbow.  When  they  throw,  they 
sweep  the  right  hand  nearly  over  the  head,  releasing  the 
spear  from  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger.  The 
spear  will  rise  and  keep  a  level  until  the  peg  is  thrown 
out  of  the  little  hole,  when  it  speeds  on  its  mission  of 
death,  which  is  certain  at  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  and  sometimes  much  farther.  One  can  readily 
see  what  an  impetus  is  derived  from  leverage  and  so 
much  strength  of  arm  and  body,  for  they  turn  their  body 
partly  round  as  they  raise  their  arm,  so  that  when  the 
spear  leaves  their  hand  they  face  the  enemy  or  game. 
For  small  game  they  throw  with  the  hand  only. 

The  boomerang  they  make  of  the  limbs  of  trees, 
reducing  them  in  size.  The  natives  find  a  limb  that  is 
bent  into  an  elbow,  and  cut  off  the  ends,  leaving  about 
six  inches  each  way  from  the  elbow.  Then  it  is  scraped 
down  to  about  three  eighths  of  an  inch,  the  ends  tapered 
slightly  and  the  edges  quite  thin.  In  shaping  it  they 
make  one  side  concave  and  the  other  convex.  They 
throw  it  with  great  force,  so  that  it  will  wind  itself  high 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD. 


NATIVE  OF  AUSTRALIA  CLIMBING  UP  A  TREE  BY  THE  BARK. 


86  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

up  into  the  air  and  keep  spinning  around  until  it  strikes 
the  ground  quite  near  the  man  who  throws  it.  I  have 
seen  them  thrown  around  a  tree  before  they  returned  to 
the  ground  again.  The  natives  will  throw  them  to  the 
ground,  and  the  weapon  will  rise  like  a  bird  and  sail  away  ; 
and  they  can  throw  them  quite  straight,  if  they  desire  to 
do  so. 

The  boomerang  has  been  called  a  wonderful  and  mys 
terious  weapon,  but  there  is  nothing  wonderful  or  mys 
terious  about  it.  A  child  of  five  years  could  make  one  of 
a  piece  of  pasteboard  in  a  few  minutes  that  would  per 
form  all  the  tricks  the  Australian  boomerangs  will,  but 
without  the  latter's  force. 

The  natives  climb  trees  after  small  game  very  readily. 
No  matter  how  large,  how  tall,  or  how  straight  the  tree, 
they  will  go  to  its  top  in  a  very  short  time.  With  their 
stone  hatchet  they  bruise  the  bark  and  make  notches  as 
high  as  they  can  reach.  Then  they  stick  the  pointed  end 
of  the  hammer  handle  into  the  upper  notch  and  their 
great  toe  into  the  lower,  and,  with  the  fingers  of  the  left 
hand  in  another  notch,  pull  themselves  up  so  that  they 
can  reach  still  another  with  the  big  toe  of  their  other  foot. 
They  hold  on  with  their  left  hand  while  they  make  more 
notches  with  their  right.  In  this  manner  they  will  walk 
up  the  bark  of  a  tree  a  hundred  feet,  if  need  be,  to  get 
the  game,  which  is  oftentimes  well  out  on  a  limb  and  per 
haps  in  a  hole.  If  the  latter  is  the  case,  when  they  reach 
the  limb  they  will  manage  to  crawl  out  upon  it  until 
they  get  to  the  hole,  then  cut  the  game  out  with  their 
stone  hatchet,  kill  it,  and  throw  it  down,  then  retrace  their 
steps.  They  seldom  or  never  fall. 

The  young  natives  get  together  and,  with  reeds  for 
spears,  have  sham  battles.  In  this  manner  they  not  only 
learn  to  throw  the  spear,  but  to  dodge  it,  which  they  do 
very  cleverly.  The  little  ones  will  play  with  the  boome- 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  87 

rang,  so  that  when  grown  up  they  have  become  experts 
in  all  their  modes  of  warfare  and  hunting. 

Seeing  two  natives  once  quarrelling,  and  always  being 
interested  in  anything  which  showed  their  peculiarities, 
I  was  curious  to  know  how  they  would  settle  their 
troubles.  I  watched  to  see  the  result.  They  stood  about 
twenty  feet  apart  with  their  spears  shipped  on  their 
shields,  and  arms  thrown  back,  watching  a  chance  to 
throw,  at  the  same  time  going  around  in  a  circle,  and 
keeping  up  a  terrible  wrangle  in  their  own  language. 
After  ten  minutes  of  this  performance,  one  of  them 
darted  his  spear  at  the  other's  legs ;  he  dodged  the  shaft 
and  caught  it  before  it  got  past,  and  broke  it  across  his 
knee.  It  is  quite  common  for  them  to  carry  two  or  three 
spears  when  they  are  travelling  about.  The  one  who 
threw  the  spear  had  another  in  position,  and  was  on 
guard  before  the  other  had  time  to  recover  after  break 
ing  the  spear.  Finally,  after  much  parading  and  scold 
ing,  they  appeared  to  make  a  truce,  and  one  approached 
the  other  until  within  six  feet,  then  threw  his  spear  so 
that  it  just  touched  the  other's  leg  without  piercing  the 
skin.  They  did  this  because  I  was  looking  on,  and  they 
may.  have  put  off  the  settlement  of  their  trouble  for  that 
reason. 

Sometimes  a  number  of  the  natives  will  go  out  and 
capture  a  number  of  kangaroo,  which  will  last  them  for 
some  days.  When  they  find  a  herd  of  kangaroo  feed 
ing,  they  set  the  dry  grass  on  fire  in  a  circle  around 
them,  leaving  an  opening  through  which  the  animals 
must  pass  or  perish.  Then  they  station  themselves  on 
each  side  of  the  gap,  and  spear  the  game  as  it  passes 
out.  They  seldom  miss  their  mark,  no  matter  how  fast 
the  game  may  be  running.  I  paced  the  leap  of  what  is 
called  the  flying  doe ;  it  was  on  a  slight  incline,  and 
measured  a  little  less  than  thirty  feet.  It  takes  an  un 
usually  good  dog  to  catch  one. 


88  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

When  the  natives  kill  small  game,  they  build  a  fire, 
roast  the  animal,  and  eat  it  on  the  spot.  When  they 
have  an  abundance,  they  will  eat  enough  at  one  sitting  to 
last  them  a  week.  I  have  known  them  to  eat  so  much 
that  they  could  not  walk  until  some  of  their  companions 
took  them  and  rolled  them  on  the  ground  and  limbered 
them  up  a  little. 

I  cannot  recall  the  manner  in  which  they  eat  without 
disgust ;  and  yet,  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  how  low  man 
kind  can^  descend,  I  must  state  the  facts  as  they  are,  and 
put  aside  all  my  own  thought.  They  kill  the  game, 
then  build  a  fire,  and  the  animal,  if  a  small  one,  like  the 
rabbit,  is  thrown  on  to  the  coals.  After  it  has  roasted 
awhile  they  will  remove  it,  pull  off  a  leg,  and  throw  the 
larger  part  upon  the  coals  again.  They  give  the  leg  a 
snap  with  their  fingers  to  knock  of!  the  ashes,  then  it  is 
devoured.  By  that  time  another  leg  is  ready  to  be  served 
by  the  same  means,  and  so  on  until  the  creature  is  all 
devoured.  It  has  been  said  that  all  savage  races  begin 
to  eat,  like  animals,  on  the  entrails  first ;  such  is  not 
always  the  case,  as  I  have  seen  them  eat  as  often  one 
way  as  the  other.  There  is  a  large  variety  of  small  ani 
mals  and  reptiles,  such  as  frogs,  snakes,  grubs,  snails, 
and  many  others,  that  they  use  as  food. 

There  is  a  very  delicate  little  creature,  a  treat  indeed 
for  the  whites  as  well,  when  they  can  get  them,  which 
is  called  gonack.  It  is  a  perfect  little  lobster,  about  four 
inches  long,  with  a  big  claw  which  is  much  larger  than 
the  body.  The  natives  dig  them  out  of  the  mud  in 
swampy  places.  There  is  also  what  the  natives  call 
mungite,  the  whites  call  it  honeysuckle  ;  it  grows  on  a 
tree  called  the  she-oak,  which  is  used  quite  commonly  for 
firewood.  The  mungite  is,  so  to  speak,  the  fruit  and 
blossom.  They  are  about  the  size  of  an  ear  of  corn, 
with  a  yellow  blossom  putting  out  all  over  it,  and  appear 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  89 

something  like  a  round  brush  at  some  seasons  of  the  year. 
These  blossoms  are  filled  with  honey.  The  natives  pluck 
them  and  suck  the  honey.  Every  year  they  dry  up  and 
fall  off,  and  soon  become  hard.  They  are  then  used  by 
the  natives  to  make  fires,  and  also  as  fagots  to  keep  them 
warm  when  on  their  travels,  as  previously  stated. 

The  natives  have  a  method  of  talking  long  distances. 
They  will  talk  so  as  to  be  understood  as  far  as  the  voice 
can  be  heard.  If  they  wish  to  say  "you  go,"  —  which 
in  their  language  is,  "yo  ne  watoo"  —  they  will  halloo 
the  "yo"  and  keep  up  that  sound  for  half  a  minute,  then 
the  sound  "ne"  the  same  length  of  time,  and  then  the  "wa" 
pronounced  very  broad,  and  at  the  end  comes  the  rest  of 
the  word,  "  too"  They  bring  the  last  part  of  the  sound  out 
with  a  deep  guttural  sound.  This  manner  of  talking  at 
a  long  distance  is  so  well  understood  that  they  know 
the  meaning  of  every  sound,  no  matter  how  far  away,  if 
the  least  sound  of  the  voice  can  be  heard. 

The  natives  work  for  the  whites,  bring  wood  and  water, 
and  take  whatever  the  whites  may  give  them  for  food. 
Sometimes  it  is  flour,  to  mix  and  bake  in  ashes.  They 
mix  this  flour  on  a  piece  of  bark.  Sitting  down  with  the 
bark  between  their  legs,  they  fill  the  mouth  with  water 
and  let  it  run  on  to  the  flour  while  they  mix  it  with  both 
hands. 

They  are  seldom  sick,  and  it  is  a  rare  case  if  one  of 
them  dies  of  anything  other  than  old  age.  To  bury  their 
dead  they  dig  a  hole  some  three  feet  deep,  and  then  put 
the  corpse  in  the  hole  in  a  sitting  position,  cover  it  up, 
and  build  a  fire  on  the  grave.  They  cut  notches  in  the 
trees  around  the  grave,  and  by  the  notches  every  native 
can  tell  who  lies  there.  If  it  be  a  man  of  note  among 
them,  he  will  have  marks  or  ridges  across  the  abdomen. 
All  important  natives  have  these  marks,  which  are  made 
by  cutting  the  skin  with  glass  or  some  poisonous 


9O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

article,  which,  after  healing,  leaves  a  scar  which  rises 
up  from  a  quarter  to  half  an  inch.  These  scars  extend 
from  side  to  side.  When  one  of  these  favored  ones 
performs  anything  out  of  common,  he  adds  a  scar  as  a 
token  of  honor.  I  have  seen  some  of  them  where  the 
scars  covered  the  width  of  ten  inches  and  were  close  to 
gether,  something  like  the  humpback  whale,  except  that 
on  a  whale  they  run  lengthways,  while  on  the  natives 
they  run  across.  The  marks  at  the  grave  denote  the 
rank  or  title. 

The  men  do  not  mourn  for  the  dead,  but  the  women 
do.  They  sit  down  and  keep  up  a  half-whine  and  half- 
cry,  at  the  same  time  they  scratch  their  faces  with  their 
nails.  They  will  continue  this  way  for  hours,  until  their 
cheeks  are  terribly  cut  and  covered  by  blood. 

What  their  religion  was  before  the  whites  came  I  can 
not  say;  but  at  this  period  they  believed  that  a  native, 
when  he  died,  came  up  a  white  man,  and  would  say  that 
man  was  once  his  brother,  but  had  gone  away  and  came 
back  a  white  man.  The  natives  have  been  called  the 
lowest  in  the  human  scale,  but  I  do  not  deem  them  so. 

They  have  been  called  cannibals,  but  facts  do  not  lead 
me  to  believe  it. 

In  the  early  colonial  days  the  English  crowded  and 
imposed  upon  the  natives  as  we  have  the  Indians  in  this 
country,  and  of  course  they  retaliated,  which  was  natural 
and  to  be  expected.  But  in  cases  of  this  kind  "  might 
makes  right,"  so  the  aborigines  were  driven  to  the  wall. 
These  natives  fought  the  English,  who  used  muskets, 
with  spears.  The  natives  whipped  the  soldiers  in  a  fair 
fight.  It  was  at  Penjarah,  about  ten  miles  inland  on  the 
Murray  River.  Soon  after  the  soldiers  received  orders  to 
turn  out  and  shoot  every  male,  no  matter  where  found, 
and  they  obeyed  orders.  One  old  native  was  partly  con 
cealed  in  a  bunch  of  bushes,  and  as  the  soldiers  came  up 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  9! 

he  stretched  his  head  out  and  cried,  "  Me  womanny ! 
womanny !  "  but  the  soldiers  knew  by  his  head  of  hair  of 
what  sex  he  was,  and  soon  spattered  the  bushes  with  his 
brains.  The  natives,  after  that,  concluded  to  submit  to 
the  inevitable,  and  they  now  remain  a  downtrodden  race. 

No  pen  can  describe  the  native  costume  nor  do  the 
subject  justice.  One  article  of  dress  beside  the  fur  cloak, 
which  is  only  worn  in  cool  weather,  is  made  of  opossum 
fur  twisted  into  a  string  many  feet  in  length,  that  is 
wound  around  their  loins  until  it  makes  a  roll  the  size  of 
a  man's  arm.  This  serves  as  a  place  to  put  their  hatchet 
and  knife  and  sometimes  the  legs  of  small  game,  if  more 
than  they  can  eat  is  killed  while  on  the  chase.  They 
have  another  string  made  of  the  same  material,  but  not 
so  long,  used  in  dressing  the  hair.  The  hair  of  the  chief 
is  quite  long.  They  brush  the  hair  up  all  around,  and 
grasp  it  at  the  top  of  the  head,  and  then  wind  this  string 
around  it  as  a  woman  will  when  she  wants  to  do  her  hair 
in  a  coil.  They  will  wind  up  about  two  inches  and  fasten 
the  end,  then  insert  different  colored  feathers  all  around 
where  they  wind  it.  They  are  then  fully  dressed.  About 
once  a  week  they  remove  the  strings  and  take  a  bath. 
They  use  a  clay,  which  when  burnt  is  red.  They  mix  it 
with  opossum  fat,  and  sometimes  spend  an  hour  in  greas 
ing  themselves  from  the  feet  to  the  top  of  the  head. 
Their  hair  will  be  so  full  of  the  fat  that  it  will  run  down 
over  their  bodies.  After  rubbing  the  body  with  fat  they 
wind  the  string  around  their  bodies  again  ;  their  head  is 
dressed  as  before  described,  and  they  are  once  more  in 
full  attire,  ready  for  a  dance  or  a  reception.  They  quite 
often  gather  together  for  what  they  call  a  carabbray, 
which  is  similar  to  the  powwow  of  our  own  Indian 
natives.  They  are  singularly  painted  and  in  different 
colors. 

They  catch  parrots  alive  by  taking   a   bough    thickly 


92  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

foliaged,  and  watch  the  water  holes  where  the  birds  go  to 
drink.  When  a  bird  comes  down  to  the  water  they 
squat,  with  the  bush  in  front,  and  creep  carefully  along, 
hiding  behind  the  bush,  until  they  can  reach  the  bird. 
Then,  with  a  quick  movement,  they  catch  it  before  it  is 
aware  of  its  danger. 

They  seldom  lay  up  anything  for  the  morrow.  They 
have  no  frugal  traits.  All  they  care  for  is  sufficient  for 
the  present  day.  I  have  known  the  carcass  of  a  whale 
to  float  ashore,  which  would  attract  the  natives  for  many 
miles  around;  and  they  would  camp  near  by  and  live  on 
the  flesh  until  the  bones  were  stripped  clean. 

As  regards  the  animals,  fowls,  etc.,  used  by  them  as 
food,  they  have  been  described  by  others.  All  animals 
and  birds  and  vegetation,  and  in  fact  about  everything  con 
nected  with  the  country,  with  but  very  few  exceptions,  dif 
fers  enough  from  all  other  products  in  other  countries  to 
warrant  the  opinion  that  Australia  was  once  a  satellite  to 
this  earth,  in  common  with  the  moon,  and  has  come  to 
us  in  a  manner  described  elsewhere.  I  do  not  believe, 
however,  that  the  present  natives  came  with  it.  Un 
doubtedly,  another  people  were  the  first  inhabitants  of 
the  island,  perhaps  Chinese,  who  have  long  since  left  it  for 
other  lands,  and  the  present  natives  came  from  the  conti 
nent  on  flats,  or  logs,  or,  as  called  in  South  America, 
on  catamarans. 

Bald  heads,  white  or  gray  heads,  are  unknown  among 
the  natives.  They  wear  no  covering  on  the  head.  The 
hair  of  the  women  hangs  down  in  ringlets  to  their  shoul 
ders.  Some  of  them  would  be  quite  pretty  if  they  were 
clean  and  were  dressed  in  European  style  ;  but  in  their 
native  costume,  garnished  with  plenty  of  mother  earth  and 
opossum  fat,  they  are  more  objects  of  disgust  than  ad 
miration. 

The  narrative  of  life  in  Western  Australia  would  be 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  93 

incomplete  without  mentioning  a  sad  circumstance  which 
happened  a  short  time  previous  to  my  arrival  in  the 
country,  which  is  not  without  interest,  showing,  as  it  does, 
how  much  like  civilized  people  savages  can  be,  and  also 
that  humanity  is  actuated  by  the  same  impulses,  whether 
cultured  or  uncultured.  A  native  chief  abducted  a  beau 
tiful  young  lady  named  Drummond  from  her  father's 
home  near  Perth,  the  capital  of  Western  Australia. 
When  the  abduction  became  known,  the  whites  got  quite 
a  number  of  the  settlers  together  and  went  in  pursuit. 
They  were  prepared  for  a  long  chase.  They  got  the 
trail  and  made  a  long  tramp  through  a  wild  country, 
some  parts  of  which  were  very  much  tangled  with  a  wild 
vine  called  scrub,  which  is  woven  together  so  firmly  that 
one  can  sometimes  walk  for  half  a  mile  on  the  top  of  the 
mass  without  seeing  the  ground  in  that  distance.  There 
were  also  open  forests  with  luxuriant  fields  of  grass,  with 
trees  thinly  scattered  around,  such  as  form  the  sheep  and 
cattle  ranches  in  that  country.  They  came  in  sight  of 
the  captors  in  their  temporary  camp,  in  one  of  those  open 
places  in  the  forest. 

The  captors  had  camped  so  that  they  could  see  the 
approach  of  any  one  who  might  be  in  pursuit,  in  time 
either  to  defend  themselves  or  make  their  escape.  The 
chief  saw  that  he  could  not  escape,  since  the  girl  would 
not  run,  and  they  could  not  carry  her  and  get  over  the 
ground  fast  enough  to  escape  capture. 

When  the  whites,  the  girl's  father  being  among  them, 
got  within  three  hundred  yards,  the  natives  halted  and 
the  chief  at  once  shipped  his  spear  to  the  shield  and 
stepped  back  a  few  paces  from  the  girl,  placed  himself  in 
the  proper  attitude  to  throw  the  spear,  and  shouted  to 
the  guide,  a  native  whom  the  rescuing  party  had  taken 
along,  that  if  they  advanced  one  step  nearer  he  would 
put  his  spear  through  the  girl's  body.  At  that  the  pur- 


94  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

suers  halted.  The  father  could  not  see  his  child  mur 
dered  before  his  eyes,  and  was  obliged  to  allow  the  natives 
to  run  away.  The  party  had  nothing  but  old  English  flint 
lock  muskets.  They  found  it  was  useless  to  try  to  run 
them  down,  so  returned  to  devise  other  methods.  After 
many  failures  in  trying  to  trap  the  natives,  or  secure  the 
girl  who  was  closely  guarded  among  the  deep  forests 
and  jungles,  and  after  many  months  of  fruitless  search,  a 
tree  was  discovered  that  had  rudely  outlined  ships  on  the 
bark.  No  white  man  had  been  in  that  section  of  the 
country  to  make  those  marks,  and  they  knew  they  were 
made  by  a  white  person,  and  who  else  could  it  have  been 
but  the  white  girl  captive  ?  On  this  supposition  they 
formulated  a  plan  which  nearly  proved  successful  for  the 
girl's  rescue.  A  reward  was  offered  of  one  thousand 
pounds,  quite  a  fortune  in  the  colonies  at  that  time.  The 
authorities  had  a  lot  of  cheap  handkerchiefs  made,  with 
printed  instructions  on  them  directing  the  girl  how  to 
proceed  and  where  to  go  in  case  she  saw  the  handker 
chiefs.  These  were  given  to  the  natives  of  different 
tribes.  Natives  call  writing  on  paper,  paper  talk.  They 
were  frequently  sent  with  letters  to  different  parties  by 
the  settlers,  and  so  knew  that  there  was  some  talk  on  the 
paper;  but  they  knew  nothing  of  printed  letters,  there 
fore  they  suspected  nothing  wrong  with  the  handker 
chiefs.  The  girl  was  told  to  go  to  a  certain  place  in  the 
forest,  and  if  she  succeeded  in  getting  there  without  being 
suspected  by  her  captors,  she  was  to  make  a  smoke  by 
building  a  fire.  The  whites  placed  themselves  at  differ 
ent  places  of  observation,  where  they  could  scan  a  large 
scope  of  the  country,  and  waited  and  watched.  Finally 
one  day  they  were,  rewarded,  for  their  long  and  patient 
watching,  by  seeing  curling  smoke  rising  slowly  up 
among  the  trees.  The  volume  of  smoke  increased  in 
size  until  quite  a  cloud  was  floating  over  the  forest,  while 


SEVEXTEEX-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  95 

below,  no  doubt,  the  maiden  stood  silent  and  alone, 
straining  her  eyes  to  their  utmost  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
her  rescuers.  Presently  moving  objects  appear  on  a  hill 
beyond  a  valley.  They  draw  nearer.  She  knows  that  it 
is  her  rescuers,  that  her  signal  has  been  seen.  Home 
and  dear  ones  rise  before  her  eyes  ;  she  stretches  her 
hands  to  grasp  them,  but  alas!  she  seizes  but  a  phantom 
in  her  despair.  A  quick,  cat-like  step  from  behind,  and 
she  turns  to  be  clasped  in  the  brawny  arms  of  her  cap 
tors.  She  was  again  borne  away  into  the  trackless 
forest  by  the  savages  who  had  missed  her.  They  saw 
the  smoke,  and  their  experienced  eyes  told  them  it  was  a 
signal  of  some  kind.  They  hurried  to  the  spot,  and 
when  her  would-be  rescuers  arrived  all  that  remained  to 
reward  them  for  their  long  and  vigilant  watch  was  a  few 
smouldering  brands. 

The  party  returned  with  the  sad  news  to  the  broken 
hearted  parents  of  the  unfortunate  girl,  who  was  believed 
to  have  spent  her  life  with  her  captors,  and  may  yet  be 
alive  at  the  present  time.  It  was  some  sixty  years  ago, 
but  she  was  then  young,  and  the  manner  in  which  the 
natives  live  prolongs  life.  The  last  heard  of  the  Drum- 
mond  girl  was  that  she  had  borne  two  children  to  her 
captor  chief. 

Good  health  is  a  native  characteristic,  for  I  never  saw 
a  native  sick  or  ill  otherwise  than  by  accident.  Some 
old  fellows  whom  I  met  must  have  been  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years  old,  if  we  can  compare  our  old  people  with 
theirs.  Should  you  ask  one  of  their  old  men  how  old  he 
is,  he  will  raise  both  hands  and  say,  "  Tatlum"  and  lower 
them,  and  he  will  continue  to  raise  and  lower  his  hands, 
and  repeat  this  word  for  half  a  day  if  you  will  listen  to  him. 
They  mean  they  have  lived  so  many  moons.  Generally 
the  virtue  of  tribes  of  natives  —  and  I  have  seen  a  good 
many  native  tribes  —  is  sterling  in  every  respect,  until  the 


96  THE   ADVENTURES    OF    A 

advance  guard  of  civilization  appears,  when  they  soon 
learn  all  the  vices  that  civilization  carries. 

By  some  it  has  been  thought  that  the  sun,  being  so 
powerful  and  hot,  sets  dry  grass  on  fire,  but  this  is  not  true. 
The  natives  make  a  fire  whenever  they  have  game  to 
roast,  and  they  do  not  care  whether  it  spreads  or  not. 
They  prefer  that  it  would,  because  it  drives  the  game  out 
so  it  can  be  seen  better ;  especialy  is  this  true  of  small 
game.  It  also  compels  the  kangaroo  to  seek  small 
patches  that  are  not  burnt  over,  where  they  will  be  sure 
to  find  them.  These  frequent  fires  have  sometimes  led  to 
the  idea  of  spontaneous  combustion. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  kangaroos  burrow,  but  this 
is  not  true.  Knowing  their  habits,  I  should  as  soon  think 
of  seeing  sheep  burrow  as  kangaroos.  They  may  have 
gotten  into  that  habit  since  I  left  the  country. 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  97 


CHAPTER   IV. 

SAILS    IN   THE    SHIP  "  FALCO  " SUSPECTS  THE  SHIP    BEING  IN 

UNLAWFUL    SERVICE TAKES  TO  WHALING  AGAIN DE 
SERTS   ONE    WHALER    FOR   ANOTHER TICKET-OF-LEAVE 

MEN SAILING  UNDER  HER    MAJESTY'S  FLAG HELPING 

A     PRISONER     ESCAPE TRIES    WHALING   AGAIN ANEC 
DOTES     ABOUT    THE     FIJIANS BATTLE      BETWEEN     THE 

NATIVES THE      BANYAN-TREE AGAIN     DESERTS     SHIP 

AND     TRAMPS     ACROSS     COUNTRY THE     DISCOVERY     OF 

GOLD    IN  AUSTRALIA SAILS  FOR  ENGLAND DOUBLING 

CAPE    HORN ARRIVES    IN     LONDON SIGHTS    THEN    TO 

BE    SEEN EMBARKS    FOR    NEW    YORK. 

AT  last  the  day  arrived  for  the  "  Falco"  to  leave  port, 
and  for  me  to  leave  the  country  where  I  had  spent  so  many 
days  mingled  with  joys,  regrets,  and  occasionally  disgust. 
I  bade  my  companions  adieu.  My  dear  friend  S.  wrung 
my  hand  with  a  "  God  speed  you,"  and  directed  me  where 
to  find  him  if  I  should  .ever  reach  London. 

I  started  for  Freemantle,  where  I  soon  arrived  and 
went  aboard  the  "  Falco."  It  was  quite  a  contrast  to 
see  the  American  consul  and  the  governor  together. 
The  consul  wore  his  uniform  complete,  —  cocked  hat  with 
tassels,  and  coat  and  pants  trimmed  with  gold-lace, —  while 
the  governor  wore  the  dress  of  fashion  at  that  time,  —  a 
red  shirt,  with  black  patent  leather  belt  around  the  waist, 
looking  like  a  fireman  when  on*  parade. 

Perhaps  the  consul  wished  to  impress  on  the  governor 
the  greatness  of  the  country  to  which  he  belonged.  I 
felt  proud  to  acknowledge  him  as  a  fellow-countryman ; 
while  looking  at  him  seemed  to  elevate  me  to  his  lofty 
height:  The  governor  smiled  on  us  as  we  stepped  into 


98  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

the  boat,  and  the  words  "bye-bye,  governor,"  forced 
themselves  unbidden  to  my  lips,  while  they  faded  away 
in  the  distance  as  the  sailors  pulled  rapidly  to  the  brig, 
which  was  to  carry  me  I  knew  not  where,  nor  did  I  care 
much  so  that  I  was  again  on  the  ocean,  with  the  star-span 
gled  banner  waving  over  me.  The  vessel  was  soon  under 
way  and  rapidly  sailing  out  of  the  harbor.  I  gave  one 
last  look  toward  the  fast-receding  shore.  My  thoughts 
were  mingled  with  pleasure  and  regrets,  — with  pleasure  to 
know  I  was  leaving  the  country,  and  regret  to  think  what 
might  be  the  fate  of  those  left  behind  who  might  not  be 
so  fortunate  in  getting  away.  The  country  was  not  then 
what  it  is  now.  I  do  not  know  of  a  country  where  I 
would  sooner  spend  my  remaining  days  than  in  any  part 
of  Australia,  where  I  have  been,  and  I  have  lived  in  many 
places  on  the  coast  from  New  Castle  to  Freemantle. 
From  the  fading  shore  I  turned  my  eyes  seaward,  and 
was  soon  lost  in  speculation  as  to  the  future. 

I  was  not  long  at  sea  before  renewing  my  acquaintance 
with  my  old  and  tried  friends,  lobscouse  and  hard-tack ; 
and  for  meat  I  found  the  same  old  horse  in  the  traces  and 
doing  good  service,  and  likely  to  survive  very  many 
voyages. 

We  soon  made  another  port.  The  "  Falco  "  was  on  a 
trading  voyage  around  the  world,  and,  as  a  matter  of 
business,  called  at  small  as  at  larger  ports  to  dispose  of 
her  Yankee  notions.  This  port,  King  George's  Sound, 
is  one  of  the  prettiest  little  harbors  in  the  world.  The 
passage  in  is  about  one  hundred  yards  wide,  while  inside 
one  hundred  line-of-battle  ships  could  ride  quietly  at 
anchor,  whatever  the  weather  outside. 

The  town  consisted  of  about  ten  huts,  inhabited  by  a 
company  of  soldiers  and  a  few  natives.  The  supercargo 
did  not  sell  much  there,  since  the  soldiers  were  supplied 
by  the  government.  The  natives  were  also  well  supplied 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  99 

with  home  products.  An  American  whaler  lay  in  the 
harbor  when  we  arrived,  the  "  Hope,"  commanded  by 
Capt.  Wilcox.  I  had  learned  soon  after  boarding  the 
"  Falco"  that  trading  was  not  her  only  business.  It  was 
said  by  some  of  her  crew  that  she  had  a  number  of  big 
guns  in  her  hold,  as  well  as  a  few  cases  of  muskets, 
pikes,  etc.  I  noted  a  number  of  small  boats  stowed 
between  decks;  all  of  which  made  me  think,  perhaps  I 
had  jumped  from  the  frying  pan  into  the  fire,  which 
caused  me  to  cast  a  wistful  eye  at  the  whaler.  I 
managed  to  see  Capt.  Wilcox,  and  told  him  I  would 
like  to  ship  with  him  if  he  was  going  home  soon.  He 
said  that  after  one  more  cruise  of  four  months  he  would 
start  for  home,  and  he  would  ship  me  if  I  wanted  to  go. 

I  told  the  consul  on  board  of  the  "  Falco  "  that  I  had 
a  chance  to  go  home  on  the  whaler. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "go  if  you  want  to." 

The  mate  came  to  me  to  persuade  me  to  remain.  He 
said  I  would  do  much  better  with  them,  and  hinted  a 
deal ;  but  I  would  not  be  persuaded.  I  had  seen  enough 
to  cause  me  to  suspect  the  craft. 

I  went  on  board  the  whaler,  and  little  anticipated 
under  what  circumstances  I  should  meet  the  consul  a 
year  later. 

On  the  whaler  I  found  the  same  lay-out  at  the  mess 
table,  and  very  soon  became  acquainted  with  my  new 
shipmates.  We  made  the  cruise  of  four  months,  but 
captured  no  whales.  Then  the  captain  run  the  ship  into 
what  is  called  the  Great  Australian  Bite,  and  anchored 
near  shore,  where  he  intended  to  lay  a  few  months  and 
bag  whales ;  that  is  to  say,  lay  at  anchor  and  send  the 
boats  on  shore,  land  the  men  and  have  them  climb  to 
the  elevated  points  and  look  out  for  whales.  When  they 
saw  one  they  would  give  chase  with  the  boats  and 
capture  him  if  they  could,  tow  him  to  the  ship  and  "  cut 


IOO  THE   ADVENTURES   OF  A 

him  in."  Both  right  and  humpback  whales  go  in  near 
the  shore  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  but  sperm  whales 
seldom  do. 

I  saw  my  show  for  getting  home  was  deferred  indefi 
nitely.  Perhaps  I  had  better  have  stayed  on  the  brig.  In 
the  course  of  a  week  or  two  we  heard  that  there  was  an 
English  brig  anchored  in  a  bay  one  hundred  miles  farther 
up  the  coast ;  she  was  a  whaler  from  Hobartstown,  Van 
Dieman's  Land.  To  go  to  her  by  water  was  some  hun 
dred  and  fifty  miles,  but  across  country  one  hundred 
miles.  I  concluded  to  run  away  and  strike  across  the 
country  and  reach  that  vessel  if  I  could.  I  knew  that  it 
was  quite  an  undertaking,  since  it  was  a  wild  and  track 
less  country,  and  no  water  to  be  had  the  entire  distance. 
Australia  is  a  very  dry  country  as  a  general  rule,  espe 
cially  in  the  summer  time.  By  getting  to  Hobartstown 
I  believed  it  possible  to  have  a  better  chance  to  ship 
direct  home.  As  desperate  as  were  the  chances,  I  con 
sidered  myself  equal  to  the  task. 

One  morning  I  filled  my  bag,  which  held  about  four 
pounds  of  beef  and  hard  bread,  and  flattened  it  well  so 
that  I  could  carry  it  under  my  frock  secured  to  a  belt. 
The  boat  went  ashore  ;  and  I,  with  a  week's  supply  of  hard 
tack,  went  with  it.  It  was  customary  to  leave  a  man  in 
the  boat  to  keep  her  off  a  little  from  the  rough  shore, 
and  to  haul  her  quickly  in  when  the  whales  are  in  sight. 
I  readily  undertook  the  task  of  watching  the  boat  that 
morning.  The  crew  soon  clambered  up  over  the  rocks 
and  out  of  my  sight.  In  five  minutes  I  was  going  the 
other  way  on  the  run.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  away  the 
land  began  to  rise,  and  continued  to  rise  for  another 
quarter  of  a  mile,  so  that  the  top  of  the  hill,  was  about 
five  hundred  feet  above  the  boat.  When  I  began  the  up 
grade,  I  looked  back  and  could  plainly  see  the  crew  on 
the  lookout  on  a  prominence  half  a  mile  away.  A  low 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  IOI 

shrubbery  grew  on  the  slope  of  the  hill,  which  would 
partly  conceal  me  when  on  my  hands  and  knees.  When 
there  was  danger  of  being  seen,  I  went  on  all  fours  to  the 
top.  The  sun  was  uncomfortable,  but  I  made  the  trip  in 
safety  and  passed  out  of  sight  of  my  late  companions, 
over  the  brow  of  the  hill.  I  travelled  around  the  bay, 
which  was  quite  large,  and  reached  the  place  where  I 
wished  to  enter  the  forest  about  sundown.  I  had 
travelled  about  twenty  miles  that  day,  and  was  five  miles 
in  a  straight  line  from  the  place  from  which  I  started  in 
the  morning.  I  camped  in  the  edge  of  the  woods  for 
the  night,  but  made  no  fire.  At  daylight  I  lunched  and 
shaped  my  course  by  the  sun  and  struck  a  "bee  line" 
for  the  bay,  one  hundred  miles  away.  I  pushed  on  at  a 
good  pace  until  towards  sundown  ;  then  cut  a  few  boughs 
and  built  a  fire,  took  a  lunch,  and  a  long  smoke,  finally 
retiring  on  a  bed  of  leaves  for  the  night.  I  rested 
quietly  and  awoke  much  refreshed  at  daylight.  Pushing 
on  again  that  day  until  about  two  in  the  afternoon,  I  came 
in  sight  of  a  considerable  opening  in  the  forest,  where  a 
fire  had  burnt  over  the  ground,  leaving  many  black 
stumps  and  partly  burnt  brush. 

I  thought  I  saw  a  number  of  natives  with  their  spears 
shipped  to  their  shields,  deliberately  waiting  for  me. 
Not  knowing  whether  I  was  pursued  or  not,  every  little 
noise  startled  me,  and  an  old  stump  or  crooked  limb 
would  assume  any  shape  that  my  imagination  shaped  for 
it,  from  nude  savages  to  many  species  of  animals.  I 
fancied  I  saw  everything  amongst  that  burnt  timber  that 
I  did  not  wish  to  meet. 

The  only  weapon  which  I  possessed  was  a  sheath  knife. 
I  drew  that  and  ran  my  thumb  down  the  edge,  and  I  found 
that  it  would  do  at  close  range,  although  the  chances 
were  against  my  getting  near  enough  to  use  the  knife 
before  I  had  been  hit  with  the  spears.  It  would  not  do 


IO2  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

to  tarry,  so  I  started  on,  knife  in  hand,  fully  determined  to 
sell  my  life  dearly  if  danger  overtook  me.  I  found  the 
nearer  I  approached,  the  less  warlike  things  appeared. 
The  hosts  soon  vanished,  and  nothing  remained  but  black 
stumps  and  charred  branches  which  had  fallen  from  trees. 
My  imagination  had  evolved  creatures  that  did  not  exist. 
The  supposed  danger  past,  I  pushed  forward  again,  half 
wishing  that  there  had  been  just  one  savage,  to  relieve 
me  of  the  monotony  of  the  journey. 

I  camped  at  sundown  by  the  side  of  an  old  log.  I 
thought  it  quite  safe  to  camp  without  much  shelter,  since 
I  was  now  too  far  from  the  anchorage  to  think  of  hiding. 
By  this  time  I  keenly  felt  the  want  of  water,  but  I  would 
not  allow  my  mind  to  dwell  upon  the  subject.  I  ate  my 
lunch,  and  after  taking  my  regular  smoke  retired  to  rest 
and  dreamed  of  water  afar  off.  Up  betimes  I  was  early 
on  the  march,  believing  that  the  day's  tramp  would  end 
the  journey,  and  I  was  not  mistaken  in  my  judgment. 

About  four  in  the  afternoon  I  went  over  a  little  rolling 
hill  which  I  began  to  descend  gradually,  and  after  going 
a  half-mile  I  saw  a  beacon  light  ahead.  It  was  the  gleam 
of  the  ocean  through  the  trees.  Another  half-mile 
brought  me  in  full  view  of  the  bay  I  was  searching  for. 
A  little  farther  on  lay  the  vessel  that  I  expected  to  find. 
A  surveyor  could  not  have  drawn  a  line  any  straighter 
from  shore  to  shore  than  I  had  taken  during  my  journey ; 
while  to  end  the  journey  happily,  I  reached  the  beach 
just  as  the  last  man  of  a  boat's  crew  stepped  into  the 
boat,  and  I  stepped  in  also.  They  were  going  aboard 
after  spending  the  day  on  land  watching  for  whales. 

I  told  them  my  story,  and  the  first  man  I  met  when  we 
got  on  board  the  ship  was  an  old  friend  whom  I  knew  at 
the  Lashanault.  He  had  got  around  to  Hobartstown  and 
had  shipped  as  cook  on  the  brig.  I  considered  it  a  happy 
termination  of  my  journey,  and  soon  made  myself  at  ease, 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  1 03 

although  I  found  things  somewhat  different  on  this  co 
lonial  ship.  She  carried  plenty  of  soft  white  bread  and 
fresh  meat,  and  canned  fruits  and  vegetables.  The  ship  had 
been  out  only  on  a  shorttrip,  which  made  it  unnecessary 
to  carry  salt  meats  except  in  limited  quantity.  The  crew 
had  taken  no  whales,  but  about  a  week  after  my  advent 
one  was  sighted.  The  captain  finding  me  a  good  hand 
at  the  oar,  I  was  put  into  the  mate's  boat  to  pull  the  after 
or  stroke  oar,  a  position  I  preferred  because  it  was  the  far 
thest  from  the  whale  when  the  man  forward  fastened 
to  him.  The  whale  almost  invariably,  when  struck  with 
the  harpoon,  will  strike  back  with  his  fins  or  big  fan-like 
tail.  I  found  that  this  particular  whale  worked  both  ways. 
The  mate,  a  native  of  New  Zealand,  was  a  good  sailor 
and  a  good  whaleman,  but  very  excitable  when  on  the 
chase.  We  started  out  three  boats.  The  mate's  boat 
got  ahead  of  the  others  and  we  soon  got  fast.  The 
whale  managed  to  strike  both  ends  of  the  boat  at  once, 
and  knocked  me  out  at  the  stern  and  the  boat  steerer  at 
the  forward  end  at  one  blow.  The  boat  moved  forward  a 
little,  and  the  mate  in  the  stern  grasped  the  man  who  was 
thrown  out  forward  as  he  was  floating  past.  I,  being 
thrown  out  from  the  after  end,  went  astern  of  the  boat. 
The  black  mate,  after  hauling  his  man  in,  held  to  his 
whale.  I  was  very  soon  left  far  behind.  I  looked  to  see 
how  far  away  the  land  was.  The  nearest  point  was  fully 
three  miles  ;  but  now  the  other  boats  hove  in  sight  and 
one  was  soon  alongside.  I  was  pulled  in.  The  whale 
ran  toward  the  other  boats,  and  as  the  mate  was  passing 
them  he  sang  out  a  man  was  overboard,  and  pointed 
toward  where  I  was.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  other  boats, 
I  should  have  had  a  long  swim  to  reach  the  land,  or  a 
short  dive  to  get  to  the  bottom.  We  towed  the  whale 
alongside  and  soon  had  it  stripped,  tried  out,  and  stowed 
in  the  hold.  After  a  week  longer  watching,  seeing  no 


104  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

more  whales,  we  sailed  for  Hobartstown,  where  all  hands 
were  paid  off. 

I  had  six  dollars  to  repay  me  for  my  ducking.  Six 
dollars  would  go  a  long  way  at  that  place  in  those  days. 
After  a  few  days  of  sight-seeing,  I  wandered  down  to  the 
wharf,  and  discovered  in  a  little  coasting  craft  my  old 
friend  Long  Jim.  He  had  arrived  at  that  port  some  time 
previous,  and  had  managed  to  get  money  enough  to  buy 
the  little  craft,  of  which  he  was  not  only  owner,  but  cap 
tain  and  crew.  He  was  engaged  in  bringing  wood  across 
the  harbor.  He  offered  me  a  berth  on  board  with  him, 
but  I  declined  his  kind  offer,  having  loftier  aspirations.  I 
wanted  to  get  into  a  large  vessel  that  was  soon  going 
home,  or  headed  in  that  direction  at  least.  Kicking 
around  a  week,  my  money  about  all  gone,  and  no  ship 
likely  to  start  soon  for  home,  I  sought  something  to  do. 
There  was  little  that  I  could  do,  since  nearly  all  the  work 
was  done  by  ticket-of-leave  men.  Van  Dieman's  Land 
was  a  convict  colony,  and  these  ticket-of-leave  men  were 
such  as  had  served  for  some  time  and  through  good  be 
havior  got  out  on  a  ticket.  They  could  not  leave  the 
country,  but  could  work  where  they  chose  and  have  what 
they  earned  for  themselves.  They  reported  at  head 
quarters  once  in  three  months.  They  got  about  all  the 
work  ashore. 

I  hunted  for  a  vessel  that  belonged  to  the  port,  think 
ing  that  I  would  ship  for  a  short  time,  until  I  could  get  a 
voyage  toward  home.  There  were  two  vessels  belong 
ing  to  the  government,  —  one  a  bark  called  the  "  Lady 
Franklin  "  ;  the  other  a  brig  called  "  Governor  Phillips." 
They  were  for  carrying  prisoners  from  Hobartstown  to 
the  penal  settlements  along  the  coast,  where  they  were 
put  at  government  work.  There  the  convicts  do  all  of 
the  government  work  on  shore.  Being  told  these  vessels 
frequently  needed  hands,  I  went  on  board  of  the  "  Gov- 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  105 

ernor  Phillips,"  and  applied  for  a  chance  to  go  before  the 
mast.  The  captain  looked  me  over  a  little,  and  said  he 
thought  I  would  do,  and  shipped  me  at  once  at  two  pounds 
a  month.  Things  were  in  pretty  good  shape  in  that 
vessel,  with  plenty  of  everything  the  market  afforded. 
The  wages  were  small,  but  they  were  sure.  The  British 
government  was  paymaster. 

When  a  ship  came  in  with  convicts  from  England,  we 
would  take  the  prisoners  on  board  of  the  brig,  some  fifty 
or  more,  and  carry  them  to  some  penal  station  along  the 
coast.  Sometimes  we  would  have  a  load  of  young 
women.  When  we  had  men,  we  always  had  a  dozen 
soldiers  to  guard  them  ;  but  the  women,  well,  the  sailors 
could  take  care  of  them. 

A  few  months  before  I  joined  the  brig  the  prisoners 
captured  her.  Every  day  they  allowed  about  ten  of  the 
prisoners  on  deck  out  of  the  lock-up  between  decks. 
They  remained  on  deck  about  an  hour,  and  then  were 
sent  below,  and  others  came  up,  and  so  on  until  all  had 
been  aired.  One  day  ten  of  the  most  desperate  fellows 
managed  to  get  on  deck  together.  Guards  sometimes 
get  careless,  and  this  particular  guard  was  careless. 
They  sprang  upon  them  and  wrenched  their  muskets 
from  them.  Before  the  soldiers  knew  what  was  being 
done,  they  found  themselves  disarmed.  The  prisoners 
then  made  the  relief,  which  was  below,  hand  their  muskets 
up.  But  while  this  was  going  on  the  officers  of  the 
vessel,  taking  in  the  situation,  saw  an  opportunity  to 
secure  two  guns  with  which  they  covered  two  men.  In 
the  excitement  the  soldiers  secured  more  guns,  and  the 
prisoners  were  soon  in  the  prison  again. 

Things  were  so  pleasant  on  the  brig  that  I  forgot  about 
home.  We  had  an  American  colored  cook,  whose  wife 
lived  in  town.  As  we  were  out  and  in  every  two  or 
three  days,  the  cook  would  go  on  shore  as  soon  as  the 


IO6  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

brig  hauled  up  to  the  wharf.  The  steward  found  the 
cook  was  stealing  the  ship's  stores  and  taking  them 
to  his  wife,  which  he  reported  to  the  captain,  and 
he  was  discharged;  and  that  fact  made  a  difference  to  me, 
for  being  the  youngest  one  on  board,  I  was  installed  as 
cook.  I  found  my  work  quite  easy,  and  I  had  all  night  in. 
When  there  were  soldiers  on  board,  it  made  extra  work 
to  do,  and  rather  more  cooking  for  the  male  prisoners. 

The  soldiers  would  often  get  up  a  little  extra  mess,  for 
which  they  would  pay  me  extra,  and  frequently  in  grog 
when  they  had  no  cash.  I  did  not  use  liquor,  but  knew 
where  to  turn  it  into  cash  with  a  good  profit.  When  the 
prisoners  were  on  deck  for  an  airing,  they  would  come  to 
the  galley,  and  it  was  surprising  how  soon  those  fellows 
would  discover  that  I  had  a  little  something  on  tap.  I 
exchanged  my  whiskey  for  spot  cash,  at  one  shilling  a 
glass.  In  this  way  I  made  considerable  money. 

When  the  vessel  was  in  port  I  was  sometimes  alone 
on  her  for  several  hours  at  a  time.  One  day  I  saw  a 
young  man  on  the  dock.  He  beckoned  to  me  to  come 
ashore,  which  I  did.  He  came  to  me  and  wanted  to 
know  if  I  was  not  an  American.  Telling  him  I  was,  he 
said,  pointing  to  an  American  whaler  that  had  been  in 
port  some  three  weeks,  that  he  was  an  American  also, 
and  wanted  to  sail  in  that  vessel.  The  crew,  he  said,  had 
agreed  to  stow  him  away,  and  he  wanted  to  go  on  board 
that  night,  for  in  the  morning  a  guard  was  to  be  placed 
on  board  to  remain  until  she  sailed  and  was  well  down 
the  harbor.  This  guard  was  to  prevent  prisoners  from 
leaving  the  country.  He  said  he  could  not  go  on  any 
of  the  boats  belonging  to  the  whaler,  because  the  harbor 
police  overhauled  all  boats  except  the  government  boats. 
He  wanted  me  to  take  him  in  one  of  the  government 
boats  that  night.  I  asked  him  why  he  was  afraid  of  being 
seen. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD. 

Then  he  said  he  was  a  prisoner,  and  out  on  a  ticket 
of  leave ;  that  he  was  on  a  ship  where  the  crew  mutinied. 
The  rest  of  the  crew  got  seven  years,  but  he  being  an 
American,  the  queen  sent  him  out  during  her  pleasure. 
Her  pleasure  might  last  his  lifetime,  for  aught  he  knew. 

I  sympathized  with  the  fellow,  as  he  appeared  to  be 
honest,  and  told  him  if  he  would  come  to  the  wharf  pre 
cisely  at  eight  o'clock,  and  say  nothing  while  in  the  boat, 
I  would  be  there.  I  expected  to  be  alone  till  nine 
o'clock. 

I  had  a  boat  ready  to  slip  over  the  ship's  side  at  the 
first  glimpse  of  the  fellow.  I  saw  him  and  reached  the 
dock  just  as  he  arrived.  He  stepped  into  the  boat  with 
out  a  word,  and  I  sculled  for  the  whaleship,  which  we 
reached  in  safety,  and  the  fellow  clambered  over  the 
ship's  side  out  of  sight.  I  have  no  doubt  but  he  got  away. 
On  my  return  to  the  ship  I  saw  two  police  boats  not  far 
off,  but  they  did  not  hail  me.  Getting  that  fellow  off 
made  me  feel  homesick,  and  I  determined  the  next 
American  ship  that  came  into  that  port  that  was  home 
ward  bound  would  take  me  in  her. 

About  that  time  a  man  who  was  a  shipowner  began 
to  build  a  large  ship.  The  keel,  stern,  and  stern  posts 
were  in  position, — a  fact  which  is  mentioned  because 
that  ship  when  finished  had  something  to  do  with  my 
getting  home. 

I  was  contented  on  the  brig  as  long  as  my  business  was 
brisk,  and  that  was  when  we  had  male  prisoners.  When 
we  had  female  prisoners,  work  was  dull  and  monotonous 
and  made  me  quite  homesick.  One  day  a  Yankee 
whaler  dropped  anchor  near  where  we  lay.  I  was  not  long 
in  getting  on  board,  since  I  had  plenty  of  leisure  when 
in  port. 

I  found  her  to  be  the  bark  "Kingston,"  Fairhaven, 
Capt.  Ellis,  master ;  first  mate,  Mr.  Barker ;  and  second, 


IO8  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

Mr.  Pearce.  I  was  pleased  with  the  appearance  of  things 
the  little  time  that  I  was  on  board.  She  was  to  lay  in  port 
about  three  weeks,  and  then  was  to  make  one  cruise  of 
four  months,  then  steering  for  home.  I  thought  that 
would  suit  me.  I  frequently  saw  both  men  and  officers 
on  shore,  and  finally  I  met  the  captain  and  made  a  bar 
gain  with  him. 

He  wanted  a  carpenter;  and  on  the  strength  of  what  I 
had  learned  at  shipbuilding  on  Murray  River,  I  told  him 
I  could  suit  him.  I  thought  I  had  only  to  ask  for  my 
discharge  from  the  brig  to  get  it  at  once,  as  we  had  to 
ship  a  new  crew  about  every  trip  on  account  of  the  sailors 
leaving,  while  I  had  stuck  to  the  ship  through  thick  and 
thin.  So  one  day  before  the  whaler  was  to  sail  I  asked 
my  captain  if  he  would  give  me  my  discharge. 

"  Why  do  you  want  to  leave  me  ?"  said  he. 

I  told  him  I  wanted  to  go  home,  and  that  the  whale- 
ship  was  going  home,  and  was  to  sail  in  about  a  week. 
He  said,  if  I  would  go  one  trip  more,  which  would  only 
take  about  four  days,  I  could  have  my  discharge. 

That  was  satisfactory,  so  I  returned  to  my  pots  and  ket 
tles,  singing  my  well-worn  song  :  — 

Will  I  ever  get  home,  far  over  the  sea,  — 

Will  I  ever  get  home  to  the  land  of  the  free, 

To  the  home  of  my  childhood,  the  land  of  my  birth, 

To  the  spot  which  to  me  is  the  best  upon  earth  ? 

I  have  been  the  world  o'er,  and  trades  have  learned  many, 

But,  alas  !  in  this  country  they're  not  worth  a  penny. 

I'll  forsake  these  wild  shores,  and  cross  the  blue  sea, 

I'll  steer  my  course  homeward  and  happy  will  be, 

And  live  among  friends,  the  friends  I  once  knew, 

Then  I'll  forget  my  experience  eating  lobscouse  stew  ! 

We  returned  in  due  time,  and  I  cleared  everything  up 
in  the  galley,  gave  the  pots  an  extra  shine,  and  then  went 
aft.  The  captain  was  in  the  cabin,  and  the  mate  aloft 


SEVENTEEN -YEAR- OLD    LAD.  IOQ 

doing  some  work ;  the  other  hands,  as  usual,  had  left  for 
other  pastures,  fresh  and  green.  I  told  the  captain  that 
I  wanted  my  discharge  ;  he  looked  up  with  a  glitter  in  his 
eyes  and  asked  me  what  I  wanted  my  discharge  for.  I 
then  repeated  what  I  told  him  before,  that  I  wanted  to  go 
on  the  whaleship. 

"  You  go  forward  at  once  !  "  said  he. 

"  But,  Captain,"  said  I,  "  you  know  you  promised  me 
my  discharge  on  our  return,  and  I  must  have  it." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  would  much  rather  you  would  stay; 
but  if  you  are  determined  to  go,  I  shall  have  to  give  you 
your  discharge." 

He  then  called  the  mate  down  and  told  him  to  write 
out  my  discharge,  which  he  did.  I  went  on  shore  at 
once  and  to  the  harbor  master's  office  to  get  my  pay. 

Several  months  later  I  met  this  captain  again,  when  he 
showed  what  regard  he  had  for  me. 

I  went  at  once  on  board  my  new  ship,  which  was  soon 
under  way  sailing  out  of  the  harbor.  I  took,  as  I  sup 
posed,  one  last  look  at  Tasmania's  Head,  and  we  passed 
out  to  sea. 

Tasmania's  Head  is  a  large  cliff  of  rocks,  which  was 
long  ago  broken  from  the  mainland,  leaving  a  passage 
between  the  Head  and  the  mainland  of  about  one  hun 
dred  yards,  and  so  situated  that  the  channel  cannot  be 
seen  until  you  get  near  it.  Tasmania  was  the  name  of 
the  Dutch  captain  who  first  sighted  the  island,  and  that 
point  of  rock  being  a  prominent  point  at  the  mouth  of 
the  harbor,  he  planted  his  flag  on  it,  believing  it  to  be 
the  mainland.  Later  on  Van  Dieman  came  along,  and 
exploring  around  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  found  that 
bluff  to  be  only  an  island,  so  he  planted  his  flag  on  the 
mainland  and  called  it  Van  Dieman's  Land. 

On  the  "  Kingston  "  I  found  we  had  a  good  ship,  good 
officers,  and  a  good  crew,  all  jolly  good  fellows  well  met. 


110  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

We  cruised  about  on  sperm  whale  grounds,  seeing 
plenty  of  whales,  and  caught  one  by  running  him  down 
in  a  fair  race.  I  did  not  go  in  the  boats  much,  since  I  was 
the  ship's  carpenter,  and  was  kept  busy  repairing  stoven 
boats.  The  boat  steerers  would  manage  to  miss  the 
whale  about  every  time  they  got  up  to  it.  They  would 
throw  the  harpoon  either  over  or  under  him,  but  the 
whale  seldom  missed  his  mark.  Once  I  repaired  one 
boat  three  times  before  breakfast.  Everything  was 
fitted  at  the  home  port,  and  I  had  only  to  remove  the 
broken  parts  and  put  in  the  new.  The  captain  seldom 
went  in  the  boats,  but  one  day  we  saw  whales,  and  he 
thought  he  would  try  his  luck.  He  chose  a  crew  from 
the  company.  I  was  to  pull  the  stroke  oar,  which  I  pre 
ferred,  although  experience  taught  me  there  was  little 
choice  as  to  safety,  for  some  whales  attack  both  ends  of 
the  boat.  We  started  after  the  whale,  but  before  we  got 
near  enough  to  fasten,  the  leviathan  saw  us  and  swam 
at  a  little  faster  gait.  We  pulled  a  little  faster  too,  but 
the  whale  managed  to  keep  ahead  about  so  far.  If  we 
gained  a  little,  the  object  of  our  pursuit  would  make  a 
spurt  and  double  the  distance  between  us.  The  captain 
got  tired  of  that  and  said,  "  Now,  boys,  let  us  run  the 
fellow  down,  or  perish  in  the  attempt." 

We  braced  ouselves  for  the  chase  with  all  the  strength 
we  could  muster.  The  captain  gave  the  word,  and  every 
man  bent  his  blade  like  a  rainbow.  We  soon  began  to 
gain,  and  we  kept  a  steady  gain  until  we  shot  alongside, 
and  the  boat  steerer  soon  had  two  harpoons  into  him 
clear  to  the  hilt.  The  captain  soon  killed  him,  and  we 
had  him  alongside  the  vessel. 

Here  may  be  stated  how  a  whale  dies,  and  some  other 
things  not  generally  known.     Many  believe  that  when  a 
whale  spouts  or  blows,  that  they  spout  water.     Such  is ' 
not  the  case.     It  is  their  breath,  the  same  as  our  breath 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  Ill 

is  seen  as  a  stream  of  mist  on  a  cold  day.  The  air  is 
colder  than  the  water,  hence  the  fog  or  steam  that  we 
see  when  a  whale  blows.  Sometimes  they  blow  before 
they  get  their  spout  holes  quite  above  the  water,  and  at 
such  times  they  blow  up  a  little  water.  During  a  very 
warm,  still  day  you  may  see  them  raise  their  heads  out  of 
the  water  and  hear  a  loud  puff  like  drawing  a  sponge  from 
a  cannon,  but  there  may  be  no  sign  of  mist  whatever. 
After  a  whale  has  been  lanced  and  some  vital  spot  has  been 
struck  by  the  point  of  the  lance,  the  whale  will  throw  up 
large  quantities  of  blood  when  he  spouts.  Many  times 
I  have  been  completely  drenched  with  it.  About  half  an 
hour  before  a  whale  dies,  he  goes  into  what  is  called  his 
"  flurry"  :  he  will  begin  to  go  round  in  a  circle,  taking  in 
half  a  mile  ;  he  will  thrash,  kick,  and  roll,  leaving  a  boiling, 
foaming  wake  behind.  The  boats  must  then  keep  at  a 
distance,  or  they  would  soon  be  knocked  into  splinters. 
As  the  whale  becomes  weaker  it  goes  slower,  and  when 
the  breath  leaves  the  body  invariably  their  eyes  are  to 
ward  the  sun,  possibly  because  the  sun  is  the  brightest 
object  to  be  seen,  and  they  keep  their  eyes  on  it  until 
the  last  breath  is  drawn. 

In  the  head  of  the  sperm  whale  is  what  is  called  the 
case  and  junk.  The  case  is  a  large  bag  filled  with  oil 
called  spermaceti.  The  walls  of  this  bag  are  composed 
of  a  soft  spongy  blubber  ;  the  junk  is  some  five  or  six 
feet  thick.  Sometimes  I  have  run  my  arm  into  this  blub 
ber  up  to  the  shoulder,  and  in  withdrawing  it  would 
bring  out  a  pint  of  oil.  In  saving  this  rich  oil,  we  cut 
off  the  whale's  head,  and,  with  large  hooks,  blocks,  and 
falls,  hoist  it  to  the  level  of  the  deck,  then  with  a  long- 
handled  spade  we  cut  a  hole  through  the  flesh  to  the 
case,  then  hoist  it  with  a  bucket  and  a  rope  run 
through  a  block  attached  to  the  yard  leading  to  the  deck, 
and  tended  by  a  man.  A  pole  is  thrust  into  the  bottom 


I  I  2  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

of  the  bucket  and  pushed  down  into  the  hole  which 
leads  to  the  case,  and  the  man  at  the  end  of  the  rope 
pulls  the  bucket  out  full  of  oil,  which  is  emptied  into  a 
hogshead.  This  is  continued  until  all  the  pure  oil  is  out. 
A  long-handled  spade  is  now  run  in  and  cut  around 
awhile,  and  the  bucket  is  used  again  and  again,  until  all 
worth  saving  is  obtained.  The  soft  blubber  which  is  cut 
with  the  spade  is  also  squeezed  with  the  hands  until  the 
oil  is  all  out  of  it.  This  spermaceti  will,  before  being 
scalded,  cool  like  lard,  but  will  not  become  quite  so  firm. 

The  season  was  over  on  this  ground,  and  only  one 
whale  had  been  caught.  Going  home  was  out  of  ques 
tion  as  yet.  The  captain  had  been  to  the  Fiji  Islands 
the  year  before,  and  found  sperm  whales  were  plenty 
around  the  islands,  and  had  captured  one  which  gave  a 
hundred  barrels  of  oil.  He  thought  he  must  try  another 
season  there.  We  accordingly  ran  for  the  islands,  where 
we  soon  arrived  and  anchored  at  a  place  called  Ovalau. 
I  was  then  in  a  different  country,  and  they  were  a  far 
different  people  than  those  I  left  at  Swan  River. 

Though  these  people  and  their  island  are  quite  fully 
understood,  yet  some  account  of  them  by  one  who 
lived  among  them  fifty  years  ago  may  still  be  of  interest 
at  the  present  day. 

At  that  time  but  few  missionaries  had  been  stationed 
there,  yet  there  were  but  very  few  cases  of  cannibalism 
to  be  heard  of.  There  were  a  few  cases  in  the  isolated 
parts.  Two  authenticated  cases  I  heard  of. 

The  captain  said  when  he  was  there  the  year  before, 
he  was  one  day  invited  to  dine  with  one  of  the  chiefs, 
and  when  they  had  all  sat  down  to  the  spread  on  the 
ground,  they  had  roast  pork,  yam,  and  fruits  in  variety. 
There  was  one  particular  dish  that  the  captain  did  not 
like  the  appearance  of.  He  finally  asked  the  chief  what 
it  was.  He  replied  that  it  was  buccolo.  The  captain  then 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD. 


NATIVE  HIGH  CHIEF  OF  THE  FIJI  ISLANDS. 


I  14  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

inquired  what  buccolo  was.  The  chief  gave  him  to  un 
derstand  that  it  was  human  flesh,  and  urged  the  captain 
to  partake,  but  he  declined  with  thanks. 

On  another  occasion  the  crew  were  on  shore  one  Sun 
day  and  there  were  many  natives,  both  male  and  female, 
scattered  around  among  them.  Presently  a  native,  with 
a  wig  on  his  head,  and  with  what  is  called  a  pineapple  club 
in  his  hand,  walked  up  behind  a  woman  and  drove  the 
point  into  the  woman's  skull.  She  fell  dead,  and  the 
fellow  took  her  on  his  shoulder  and  carried  her  off.  The 
other  natives  said,  "  Turonger  eat"  which  meant  chief  eat. 
These  were  the  only  cases  that  ever  came  to  my  knowl 
edge  while  among  them  during  five  months. 

They  have  a  bark  which  is  very  much  like  our  wicopy 
bark.  They  strip  it  off  the  trees,  lay  it  on  a  smooth  log, 
and  then  pound  it  with  a  wooden  mallet.  In  this  manner 
they  expand  it  to  a  great  width.  The  process  is  similar 
to  gold  beating.  A  strip  of  two  inches  wide  will  be  ham 
mered  out  to  two  feet  wide,  and  quite  as  thin  as  muslin. 
This  fabric  they  call  tapper.  They  put  the  edges  of  a 
number  of  strips  together,  and  by  that  means  make  quite 
a  respectable  carpet.  In  making  very  large  articles  of  it, 
they  make  it  much  thicker  than  for  a  headdress  or  a 
wrap  for  body  covering.  They  print  some  of  it  in  this 
way :  They  have  the  half  of  a  log  that  would  be  twenty 
inches  in  diameter  with  the  bark  scraped  off  clean  ;  then 
they  take  little  reeds  about  the  size  of  a  lead  pencil  and 
split  them  and  wrap  them  over  the  log  in  different  ways 
and  secure  them.  In  this  manner  they  form  the  designs 
by  cutting  pieces  and  bending  them  in  different  ways. 
They  make  a  dye  by  some  process  and  spread  it  over 
their  type  ;  then  spread  the  cloth  to  be  printed  over  the 
top.  They  then  run  a  wooden  roller  over  the  cloth  once 
or  twice,  and  the  work  is  completed. 

Every  tribe  has   its  chief  and  its  captains,  who   have 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD. 


NATIVE  Low  CHIEF  OF  THE  FIJI  ISLANDS. 


I  1 6  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

marks  of  distinction.  The  big  chief,  or  turonger  lib,  as 
they  call  him,  allows  his  hair  to  grow  very  long.  Their 
hair  curls,  and  in  the  lower  class  is  quite  kinky  ;  but  the 
nobility  comb  their  hair  with  a  strip  of  tortoise  shell, 
which  is  about  three  eighths  of  an  inch  wide  and  about 
twelve  inches  long,  and  pointed  at  one  end.  This  they 
run  through  the  hair,  which  makes  it  stand  out  in  all 
directions  in  the  same  manner  as  that  of  the  Circassians. 
The  turonger  lib,  or  big  chief,  will  take  two  or  three 
yards  of  the  thin  tapper  cloth  and  wind  it  lightly  over  his 
already  big  head,  and  secure  it  by  tucking  it  in  under  the 
lower  parts  near  the  neck.  This  dressing  gives  his  head 
the  appearance  of  being  about  the  size  of  a  four-bushel 
basket.  The  turonger  lili,  who  stands  next  in  rank  lower, 
allows  his  hair  to  grow  long  like  the  big  chief.  Instead 
of  the  tapper  covering,  he  will  have  a  strip  about  two 
inches  wide  shaved  to  the  scalp,  from  the  forehead  to  the 
back  down  to  the  neck,  which  leaves  two  bushy  tufts  of 
hair  standing  out  over  each  shoulder.  The  next  in  rank 
has  the  big  head  of  hair  with  about  two  thirds  of  it  shaved 
entirely  off  one  side  and  over  the  poll  some  two  inches  ; 
it  makes  him  look  lopsided.  The  chiefs  sometimes  wear 
a  wrap  over  their  shoulders,  but  it  is  more  common  for 
them  to  wear  simply  a  strip  of  tapper  around  their  waist, 
tied  behind  them,  with  the  ends  brought  up  between  their 
legs  and  tucked  under  the  belt  in  front  and  the  ends  al 
lowed  to  hang  down  half-way  to  the  knee.  The  chiefs 
usually  are  very  large  men.  One  fellow  whom  I  meas 
ured  with  my  rule  was  seven  feet  in  height,  and  weighed 
from  two  to  three  hundred  pounds. 

All  natives  under  these  three  chiefs  are  what  are  called 
abetee,  which  means  slaves.  The  chief  can  sell  or  eat 
them,  as  suits  his  pleasure.  One  dollar  was  the  market 
price  for  male  or  female,  fat  or  lean.  The  females  ap 
peared  to  have  ideas  of  modesty  and  to  have  had  some 
regard  for  it  long  before  the  whites  found  them. 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  II/ 

There  is  a  little  black  root  which  they  gather  and  work 
into  a  belt.  When  done,  with  its  appendant,  it  is  wrapped 
around  the  loins  and  secured  behind.  That  is  the  cover 
ing  they  wear,  and  it  appears  to  be  a  very  ancient  costume 
with  them. 

The  women  sometimes  get  together  and  dance.  They 
have  something  like  an  inflated  bladder,  flattened  some 
what,  one  in  each  hand.  They  form  two  lines  near  to 
gether,  then  sway  backward  and  forward,  singing,  and  at 
the  same  time  slapping  the  two  bladder-like  bags  to 
gether  in  their  hands.  As  to  their  chastity  I  have  noth 
ing  to  say.  They  do  not,  however,  adhere  strictly  to 
monogamy. 

Some  forty  miles  distant  from  the  main  group  of  the 
Fiji  Islands  is  an  island  called  Tongaboo.  The  natives 
on  that  island  are  quite  civilized  and  much  lighter  in 
color  than  the  Fiji  proper;  and  they  appear  to  be  a  dif 
ferent  people.  Their  hair  is  straight.  About  twenty  of 
their  young  converts  came  one  day  on  a  mission  tour, 
with  them  being  their  native  missionary.  They  came  on 
board  our  ship.  The  young  ladies  were  aged  from  six 
teen  to  twenty ;  and  they  were  all  supposed  to  be  vir 
gins.  They  paraded  along  the  deck,  and  on  removing 
their  head  covering  their  hair  was  seen  to  be  cut  close  to 
the  scalp,  excepting  one  lock  of  about  the  size  of  one's 
finger,  which  hung  down  on  the  right  shoulder ;  this  was 
their  only  ornament.  Notwithstanding  they  were  well 
civilized,  yet  they  were  unadorned,  and  a  more  perfect 
illustration  of  the  human  form  is  seldom  seen.  They 
were  as  comely  in  feature  and  figure  as  any  people  on 
earth,  and  were  quite  as  modest  and  well  behaved.  They 
appeared  to  know  no  evil. 

A  root  grows  on  the  islands  called  carver,  from  which 
they  make  a  liquor.  The  natives  gather  in  a  circle 
around  the  chief,  and  all  squat  down.  The  root  is  cut 


I  1 8  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

into  slices  or  chips,  and  the  slaves  put  them  into  their 
mouths  and  commence  to  chew.  They  continue  to  feed 
themselves  with  chips  until  their  cheeks  swell  out  as 
large  as  a  man's  fist,  when  they  grind  away  with  their 
molars  until  they  reduce  the  mass  to  a  pulp.  Their 
mouths  get  so  dry  sometimes  that  they  have  to  take  a 
little  water  to  enable  them  to  chew  the  cud.  When  it  is 
ground  fine  enough,  it  is  taken  out  and  put  into  a  large 
wooden  bowl.  If  there  are  four  or  five  slaves  chewing, 
one  cud  apiece  will  be  sufficient.  They  fill  the  bowl  two 
thirds  full  of  water,  then  with  the  fibres  of  the  cocoanut 
husk  they  stir  the  contents  of  the  bowl  and  draw  this 
strainer  through  it,  taking  the  fine  material  out.  They  con 
tinue  this  until  the  liquid  is  completely  free  from  any  signs 
of  the  root ;  it  is  then  ready  for  use.  With  a  cocoanut 
shell  they  dip  out  a  full  cup  and  hand  it  to  the  chief.  He 
takes  the  bowl  in  his  hand,  and  as  he  raises  it  to  his  lips 
the  circle  of  slaves  around  him  begin  a  sort  of  chant  and 
continue  it  until  he  has  drained  the  cup,  when  they  end 
with  a  whoop,  and  the  next  in  rank  takes  his  drink.  After 
the  chief  and  his  followers  have  satisfied  themselves,  if 
any  is  left  the  chewers  finish  it. 

There  does  not  appear  to  be  much  wild  game  on  these 
islands,  other  than  wild  hogs.  They  are  quite  plenty. 
There  is  a  large  variety  of  fruit,  but  not  many  vegetables. 
The  fruits  consist  of  breadfruit,  bananas,  oranges,  lemons, 
limes,  and  what  the  whites  call  custard  apple,  a  fruit  of 
delicious  quality.  There  is  an  abundance  of  cocoanuts. 
The  vegetables  are  yams  and  taro  and  some  other 
small  varieties. 

The  breadfruit  grows  something  like  a  citron,  and  is 
about  the  same  size.  When  the.  breadfruit  is  ripe,  the 
natives  pick  and  roast  it ;  the  whites,  after  picking,  allow 
it  to  lay  in  the  sun  two  or  three  days,  then  cut  them 
open.  The  inside  is  like  buckwheat  batter  sweetened  a 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  I  1 9 

little.  The  whites  either  put  it  into  a  hot  oven  and  bake 
it,  or  dip  it  out  as  one  would  batter  and  fry  it.  Fried 
bananas  taste  very  much  like  fried  breadfruit. 

There  is  a  large  fruit  called  shaddock,  which  is  noth 
ing  more  than  an  overgrown  orange,  sometimes  being 
the  size  of  a  man's  head.  The  meat  is  very  coarse  and 
of  somewhat  reddish  color,  with  a  mixture  of  sweet  and 
sour.  There  is  some  little  cotton  growing  wild.  There 
is  quite  a  variety  of  small  fish  and  turtle. 

It  would  appear,  with  the  abundance  of  fruit  and  other 
eatables,  that  the  natives  would  have  no  occasion  to  eat 
each  other,  and  surely  hunger  would  not  drive  them  to 
it.  Possibly  they  eat  their  enemies  from  spite,  thinking 
that  to  be  the  quickest  and  best  way  to  permanently  be 
rid  of  them.  In  the  islands  a  hog  that  would  weigh  three 
hundred  pounds  could  be  bought  for  as  much  vermilion 
paint  as  I  could  hold  on  the  point  of  a  knife,  or  for  three 
fish  hooks.  They  were  underselling  the  people  at  Mel 
bourne,  who  sold  beef,  pork,  and  mutton  at  a  penny  a 
pound,  while  these  fellows  were  selling  at  the  remunera 
tive  price  of  a  penny  a  hog.  To  cook  their  meat  and 
vegetables  they  will  dig  a  hole  in  the  ground,  lining  the 
bottom  and  sides  with  cobblestones,  then  build  a  fire  in 
the  hole.  While  the  fire  is  burning  they  kill  the  hog, 
and  when  the  fire  has  all  burned  to  coals,  they  throw  on 
a  lot  of  boughs  and  lay  the  hog  on  the  funeral  pile;  the 
steam  that  arises  loosens  the  bristles,  so  they  scrape  them 
off  easily.  Then  he  is  removed,  and  his  entrails  removed 
with  the  boughs.  The  hole  being  cleaned,  they  lay  the 
hog  in  the  hot  hole  and  stuff  it  with  hot  stones,  put  yams 
and  taro  around,  put  more  hot  stones  around  and  over 
it,  then  cover  it  with  boughs  ;  they  then  leave  it  for  a 
few  hours.  When  roasted  they  remove  boughs  and 
stones,  and  the  creature  is  ready  to  be  served  from  a 
primitive  platter,  the  place  in  which  he  was  baked. 


I2O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

One  of  our  sailors  ran  away,  and  the  captain  offered 
the  chief  some  calico  if  he  would  hunt  him  up.  In  a 
day  or  two  the  chief  sent  word  to  the  captain  that  he 
had  the  fellow.  The  captain  went  ashore,  taking  me 
with  him.  When  we  found  the  chief,  he  was  about  to 
dine.  He  was  so  happy  over  his  find  and  his  promised 
reward,  that  he  invited  the  captain  and  crew  to  partake 
of  the  royal  feast.  The  old  chief  had  a  carpet  about  ten 
feet  square,  made  of  tapper  cloth,  spread  out  on  the  floor 
of  his  bamboo  palace.  We  gathered  around  the  carpet, 
but  there  was  nothing  on  it,  and  there  we  sat  squat 
ting  on  the  ground.  Soon,  however,  four  or  more  young 
women  with  powdered  hair  came  tripping  in  with  rush 
plates  loaded  down  with  roast  pork  and  yams.  Each 
gave  a  squatter  around  the  board  a  plate,  and  soon  after 
they  brought  on  the  dessert,  which  consisted  of  fruit  and 
nuts ;  the  fruit  was  good,  but  for  the  nuts  I  had  no  ap 
petite  ;  they  were  cocoanuts  that  had  been  buried  in  the 
ground  until  the  meat  had  rotted,  which  made  a  black 
oily  mass. 

Soon  after  finishing  our  repast  we  heard  a  commotion 
outside,  and  soon  saw  two  natives  coming  out  of  the  bushes 
with  a  pole  between  them,  the  ends  of  which  were  rest 
ing  on  their  shoulders.  On  the  pole  hung  the  body  of 
the  sailor  who  had  run  away,  head  down.  They  had  tied 
his  hands  and  feet  together,  and  run  the  pole  through  in 
the  manner  that  pigs  are  carried.  The  poor  fellow  was 
half  dead,  and  we  soon  eased  his  position  by  placing  him 
on  board  the  ship.  Had  I  desired  I  could  have  run 
away  and  not  have  been  captured.  The  natives  had 
many  old  English  pistols  and  muskets  taken  in  exchange 
for  their  products  by  way  of  trade  ;  and  when  these  got 
dirty  or  the  locks  out  of  repair,  they  did  not  know  how 
to  fix  them.  I  sometimes  cleaned  them  and  repaired  the 
locks.  When  they  found  me  handy  at  that  work,  they 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  121 

wanted  me  to  run  away.  They  said  that  they  would 
hide  me  so  that  the  big  turonger  chief,  meaning  the  cap 
tain,  could  not  find  me.  I  might  have  made  money  by 
so  doing ;  they  would  give  me  for  repairing  one  lock 
one  head  of  tortoise  shell,  about  four  pounds  in  weight, 
which  at  that  time  was  worth,  in  Sydney,  four  dollars  a 
pound ;  but  the  inducement  was  too  small,  and  I  was 
not  in  the  mood  to  venture. 

I  did  not  then  know  but  that  there  was  more  truth 
than  poetry  about  eating  their  dead.  When  they  thought 
me  fat  enough,  they  might  hide  me,  after  the  manner  of 
poor  Jonah  of  ancient  writ,  and  I  might  not  be  so  fortunate 
in  getting  out  in  three  days.  I  therefore  declined  their 
urgent  wishes,  although  afterward  regretting  not  remain 
ing  with  them.  Had  I  escaped  their  jaws,  I  might  now 
have  been  one  of  the  honored  kings  of  the  cannibal 
islands. 

The  natives  went  to  war  while  we  were  there,  and  it 
took  them  three  months  to  get  their  weapons  together, 
and  when  ready  for  the  fray  they  fought  with  spears  and 
clubs. 

They  did  not  dare  to  trust  to  their  muskets,  as  they  had 
found  that  they  did  not  always  shoot  when  they  wanted 
them  to,  but  the  spears  and  clubs  never  missed  fire. 
Their  battle  lasted  half  a  day.  Nine  were  killed  on  one 
side,  and  thirteen  on  the  other.  That  battle  ended  the 
trouble.  Had  two  white  hostile  armies  fought,  they 
would  have  fought  until  the  last  man  was  killed  or  taken 
prisoner.  The  savages  are  much  easier  convinced  than 
the  white  men,  and  so  there  is  less  slaughter. 

All  were  very  anxious  to  get  back  to  their  own  island. 
They  could  not  get  away  rapidly  enough  in  their  double 
canoes,  so  they  hired  the  captain  to  take  some  three 
hundred  of  them  home. 

There  double  canoes  are  made  of  planks  about  fifteen 


122  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

or  twenty  inches  wide  and  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
long,  sewed  together.  Everything  they  wish  to  join 
together  is  either  sewed  or  lashed  with  the  fibres  of  the 
cocoanut  husk  plattened  into  sinnet.  They  can  do  it  as 
neatly  as  an  old  sailor.  These  double  canoes  are  from 
fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  long  and  six  feet  wide,  pointed 
at  both  ends.  Two  are  placed  about  eight  feet  apart, 
and  beams  are  lashed  from  one  to  the  other.  Then  a 
platform  is  laid  over,  leaving  a  few  feet  at  each  end  of 
the  boats  clear.  A  mast  is  stuck  up  in  the  middle,  with 
a  mutton-leg  sail.  A  few  holes  are  cut  through  the 
deck,  so  that  when  there  is  no  wind  they  put  paddles 
through  these  holes,  and  scull  the  craft  along  by  swaying 
sideways,  singing  at  the  same  time  a  song  like  sailors 
when  heaving  up  anchor. 

There  was  one  chief  called  King  Philip,  the  only  one 
I  saw  who  had  any  signs  of  civilization  about  him.  He 
had  his  hair  cut  like  a  white  man,  and  wore  trousers  and 
a  coat.  There  was  another  old  chief  called  Old  Snuff, 
who  said  that  when  he  could  see  a  ship  go  through  the 
water  without  sails  and  without  oars,  he  would  become  a 
Christian.  Some  one  had  told  him  about  steamers.  I 
think  he  has  seen  one  by  this  time,  if  alive.  Whether  he 
has  become  a  Christian  yet  is  more  his  affair  than 
another's. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  sights  in  the  world  is  to  be 
seen  in  the  water  about  these  islands.  They  ap 
pear  to  have  been  originally  volcanic  many  ages  ago, 
and  at  a  later  period  the  coral  insect  wrought  so  dili 
gently  and  so  beautifully  that  the  harbor  is  filled  with 
reefs ;  and  to  sit  in  a  boat  and  look  down  upon  the  forest 
of  coral  of  every  hue  of  the  rainbow,  and  to  see  the  fishes 
of  every  color,  presents  a  sight  worth  a  long  journey  and 
which  is  seldom  seen,  and  once  seen  is  never  to  be  for 
gotten. 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR- OLD    LAD.  123 

I  read  not  long  ago  a  story  which  reminded  me  of  my 
experience, —  the  story  of  a  reporter  who  made  himself 
king.  Apropos  of  that,  one  day  a  canoe  came  to  the 
ship.  A  native  was  at  each  end.  A  white  man  squatted  in 
the  middle.  The  white  man  was  dressed  in  gold-lace 
from  head  to  foot.  His  cocked  hat  was  covered  with 
tassels  and  gold-lace.  The  canoe  came  alongside,  and 
the  visitors  were  soon  on  deck.  I  recognized  the  white 
man  at  the  first  glance.  He  was  my  old  friend,  the 
American  consul  of  the  brig  "  Falco,"  of  Lynn,  Massa 
chusetts,  whom  I  left  at  King  George's  Sound  two  years 
before.  He  had  run  into  those  islands  some  six  months 
before,  to  trade  with  the  natives.  His  brig  struck  on 
one  of  the  coral  reefs  which  abound  in  those  waters, 
where  she  stayed.  The  crew  had  all  gotten  away  from 
the  islands,  leaving  his  excellency  the  consul.  Perhaps 
he  thought  that  the  great  American  Republic  should  have 
some  one  there  to  represent  the  country  and  to  look 
after  cast-away  Americans,  so  remained  on  the  islands. 

He  looked  over  the  ship  a  little,  to  see  if  we  had  any 
stowaways  on  board,  since  he  had  learned  that  we  were 
about  ready  to  leave  the  islands.  Finally  he  went 
ashore  with  his  body  guard,  thinking,  no  doubt,  he  had 
done  a  stroke  of  duty  for  his  country. 

It  was  a  mystery  to  me  then,  as  now,  how  he  kept  his 
regalia  so  well.  He  had  to  sleep  on  the  ground,  and 
likely 'with  his  trappings  on  ;  or  should  he  take  them  off, 
he  would  have  to  hang  them  on  the  limb  of  a  tree  and 
roll  himself  in  a  native  tapper  carpet.  For  a  pillow  he 
might  use  his  cocked  hat.  The  natives  use  a  little  stick, 
which  stands  up  on  legs  about  four  inches  high,  on  which 
they  rest  their  heads.  The  chiefs  use  that  kind  of  a 
pillow,  for  by  that  method  they  do  not  rumple  their  hair. 
Since  the  consul  was  so  great  a  chief  among  them,  he 
certainly  would  have  to  raise  his  head  somehow,  or  lose 


124  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

caste  and  be  rated  as  a  little  chief.  I  never  saw  the 
consul  or  heard  of  him  after  we  left  the  islands.  Possi 
bly  he  became  a  king  and  exchanged  his  regalia  for  the 
native  costume. 

The  islanders  come  very  near  being  spiritualists. 
They  build  a  cabin  of  bamboo,  and  make  it  tight  with 
but  one  opening,  that  is  the  door.  Then  they  carve  out 
a  human  figure  roughly.  They  then  make  a  lot  of  rope 
from  cocoanut  fibre,  and  lash  the  image  to  the  outer  side 
of  the  shanty.  The  rope  is  made  fast  to  the  head  of  the 
image  and  strung  around  the  cabin.  The  rope  repre 
sents  hair. 

When  they  wish  to  consult  the  spirits,  the  old  medium 
will  go  inside  with  one  or  two  others  and  close  the  door, 
when  all  squat  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  with  clasped 
hands,  and  while  in  this  circle  they  call  up  the  spirits  and 
consult  them,  for  weal  or  for  woe. 

There  is  one  token  of  honor  among  the  higher  order 
of  natives.  They  pierce  their  ears  with  a  pointed  bone, 
and  insert  therein  a  narrow  strip  of  bamboo  bent  in  the 
form  of  a  hoop.  They  change  the  hoop  frequently,  and 
with  every  change  a  larger  hoop  is  inserted.  They  con 
tinue  this  process  until  the  hole  is  of  the  desired  size, 
which  is  according  to  their  rank  or  station.  These  holes 
are  sometimes  so  large  that  I  could  run  my  closed  hand 
through  them  without  touching  the  sides.  When  the 
hoops  are  taken  out,  the  loops  will  hang  down  and  rest 
on  the  shoulders. 

The  season  for  whales  was  over  at  these  islands.  We 
had  remained  there  five  months  without  taking  a  whale. 
We  therefore  weighed  anchor  and  started  out  for  a  short 
cruise.  We  sighted  no  whales,  and  finally  ran  into 
Sydney,  where  we  lay  some  three  months,  as  the  ship 
needed  some  repairs. 

A  piece   of  gold  which  weighed  about  one  ounce  was 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  125 

found  somewhere  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  and 
brought  into  Sydney  while  we  lay  there,  which  was 
in  1845.  No  one  knew  enough  about  gold  to  look  for 
more  where  that  piece  came  from.  While  I  was  cook  at 
Hobartstown  on  the  "  Governor  Phillips,"  the  coal  came 
from  Port  Arthur,  and  was  what  might  be  called  slate  coal, 
and  I  frequently  found  pieces  of  it  that  were  gilded  with 
fine  gold.  I  called  the  attention  of  several  parties  to  it, 
and  it  was  pronounced  to  be  gold. 

After  the  ship's  repairs  were  completed  we  left  Sydney 
for  another  short  cruise.  About  five  hundred  miles  from 
Sydney  we  came  to  Lord  Howe's  Island,  and  some  of  us 
went  ashore.  There  was  one  man  with  his  family  on 
the  island,  and  he  was  the  governor.  The  English  early 
had  the  habit  of  planting  their  flag  on  newly  discovered 
lands,  and  having  one  man  to  keep  it  flying,  and  by  that 
method  claiming  the  island.  They  took  possession  of 
this  island  in  this  way,  and  Norfolk  also,  as  well  as  many 
other  islands.  Norfolk  Island  produces  a  large  variety 
of  fruit,  with  oranges  predominating  and  being  native  to 
the  island.  There  is  as  much  difference  between  the 
oranges  of  that  country  and  the  ones  we  see  as  there  is 
between  a  potato  and  an  apple.  The  oranges  of  the 
islands  are  the  most  delicious  fruit  I  ever  tasted.  At 
Lord  Howe's  Island  we  found  plenty  of  peppers,  of  which 
we  gathered  an  abundance.  On  this  island  there  is  a 
remarkable  tree  called  the  banyan-tree,  that  covers 
several  acres  of  land.  When  the  first  tree  started  and 
had  grown  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet,  with  its 
branches  spread  out  in  all  directions,  shoots  ran  down 
from  the  limbs  to  the  ground,  where  they  took  root  and 
grew  into  another  trunk,  from  which  other  branches  grew 
out,  which  extended  itself  after  the  fashion  of  the  parent 
tree  until  a  small  forest  had  grown  up  that  covered  many 
acres  of  land.  Were  the  branches  that  rise  above  those 


126  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

horizontal  arms  of  wood  that  connect  the  perpendicular 
ones  together  trimmed  down,  one  could  wheel  a  bar 
row  over  the  entire  forest  with  ease  and  safety. 

We  soon  left  the  island  and,  after  a  cruise  of  a  few 
months,  chasing  many  whales  and  catching  none,  we 
went  into  Hobartstown  again,  where  I  had  shipped  some 
fifteen  months  before,  thinking  that  I  was  going 
home,  but  I  could  not  quarrel  with  fate,  so  renewed  my 
acquaintance  with  my  old  friends,  who  were  much  pleased 
to  see  me  back  again. 

I  was  set  at  work  coopering  casks  with  the  third  mate. 
It  took  about  three  weeks  to  set  up  what  casks  we 
wanted.  Having  been  on  shore  a  number  of  times,  and 
mixing  with  my  old  associates,  I  began  to  hanker  for  the 
land  again.  I  felt  rather  sore  toward  the  captain, 
because  he  did  not  promote  me  when  he  had  opportu 
nity.  One  of  our  boat  steerers  ran  away  at  Sydney,  and 
when  we  were  out  at  sea  the  captain  put  one  of  the  for 
ward  hands  in  to  fill  his  place,  —  a  position  which  I 
thought  should  have  been  given  me.  The  reason  why 
we  did  not  catch  more  whales  was  because  the  boat 
steerers  could  not  hit  the  whales,  or  were  afraid  and 
would  not  strike  them.  I  believed  that  I  could  hit  them 
•every  time,  if  put  near  enough. 

I  wished  to  get  something  that  would  bring  me  in  a 
little  money,  so  when  we  got  to  Hobartstown  I  con 
cluded  that  there  was  no  money  in  whales  for  me,  no 
matter  what  ship  I  was  in,  therefore  left  the  ship.  One  of 
the  boat  steerers  quitted  with  me. 

A  man  on  shore  with  whom  I  was  acquainted  agreed 
to  stow  us  away  in  his  house.  Accordingly,  when  we 
thought  the  ship  about  ready  to  sail,  we  went  ashore  and 
to  my  friend's  house,  where  we  were  soon  tucked  away  in 
his  loft.  There  were  no  stairs,  but  a  hole  cut  in  the 
ceiling  overhead  reached  by  a  ladder.  It  was  removed 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  127 

when  we  were  in  the  loft,  and  we  put  some  loose  boards 
over  the  hole.  No  one  thought  of  looking  aloft  for  us. 
Through  a  hole  in  the  roof,  between  the  shingles,  we 
could  see  the  ship,  and  thus  we  watched  day  by  day  for 
three  weeks  until  the  ship  left  the  bay.  We  wanted  for 
nothing,  my  friend  providing  plenty  to  eat  and  drink. 
The  first  and  second  mates  came  into  the  house  one  day, 
and  we  knew  their  voices,  but  we  kept  very  still.  Little 
did  they  suspect  the  men  they  wanted  were  hiding  above 
their  heads. 

After  three  weeks  of  watching,  one  morning  we 
found  the  ship  was  under  way.  This  was  about  ten 
o'clock,  but  we  kept  in  hiding  until  the  next  morning, 
and  it  was  lucky  for  us  that  we  did.  When  we  went  out 
the  following  morning,  we  learned  the  captain  went  down 
the  harbor  about  twenty  miles  and  dropped  anchor,  and 
then  sent  a  boat  to  town,  thinking  that  we  would,  after 
seeing  the  ship  go  down  the  bay  and  out  of  sight  behind 
a  point  that  made  out  into  the  harbor,  come  out  and 
show  ourselves;  but  I  was  not  to  be  caught  in  such  a 
simple  manner.  The  captain,  finding  he  could  not  catch 
us,  before  leaving  went  to  a  merchant,  who  kept  a  store 
near  the  wharf,  and  who  also  owned  a  number  of  vessels 
sailing  out  of  Hobartstown,  and  told  him  that  he  did  not 
want  to  lose  me,  but,  since  he  was  obliged  to  leave  me, 
he  advised  him  to  get  me  to  join  one  of  his  vessels  when 
I  appeared  out,  and  gave  me  one  of  the  best  of  recom 
mendations. 

The  morning  when  we  went  down  to  the  wharf  I  was 
met  by  a  man  who  told  me  that  Mr.  Johnson,  which  was 
the  merchant's  name,  wanted  to  see  me.  Going  to  him 
at  once,  he  informed  me  what  the  captain  had  said,  and 
wanted  me  to  ship  then  and  there  in  a  schooner  which 
he  owned.  This  schooner  at  that  time  was  the  smallest 
vessel  that  had  ever  been  around  Cape  Horn,  being  only 


128  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

about  fifty  tons'  burden.  She  was  going  on  a  four- 
months'  cruise  along  the  coast  after  whales. 

I  did  not  take  very  kindly  to  the  project,  but  told  him 
I  would  let  him  know  in  a  few  days.  Thinking  the  mat 
ter  over  for  a  while,  I  concluded  four  months  would  soon 
slip  away,  and  if  we  only  got  one  whale,  I  would  have 
quite  a  stake  on  our  return,  and  I  shipped  and  we  were 
soon  out  of  the  harbor. 

We  went  around  to  the  farther  side  of  the  island  and 
dropped  anchor  in  a  little  bay  not  far  from  one  of  the 
penal  settlements.  We  were  not  allowed  in  there,  but 
the  captain  made  things  all  right  with  the  officers  in 
charge  of  the  convicts.  We  used  to  go  ashore  and  look 
off  from  the  high  rocks.  There  was  a  small  island  to 
which  I  used  to  go,  and  which  was  not  more  than  half  a 
mile  from  the  mainland.  There  were  plenty  of  penguins 
there.  There  were  holes  in  the  ground  near  the  water, 
and  I  found  they  contained  from  two  to  six  eggs,  and 
from  many  of  the  holes  the  bird  would  rush  out  and  dive 
into  the  water.  I  gathered  a  bucketful  of  the  eggs  and 
carried  them  fo  the  ship,  where  the  cook  fried  them,  but 
they  were  not  very  good.  They  were  about  all  yolk  and 
very  dry,  but  being  eggs  we  ate  them.  By  visiting  their 
nests  I  found  that  they  laid  about  as  regularly  as  a  hen 
does.  Notwithstanding  we  had  robbed  them,  we  would 
always  find  newly  laid  eggs.  One  day  while  we  lay  in 
the  bay,  the  "Governor  Phillips"  dropped  anchor  near 
us.  The  captain  came  on  board,  the  same  that  was  in 
her  when  I  was  cook. 

He  was  surprised  to  see  me,  and  said  he  expected  that 
I  was  at  home  by  that  time.  I  gave  him  a  short  sketch 
of  my  experience.  He  told  me  that  he  wanted  to  see 
me  privately.  Just  before  he  left  he  called  me  aside. 
He  wished  me  to  go  with  him,  and  said  he  would  give 
me  a  good  chance  if  I  would  go  in  the  brig.  Answer- 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  129 

ing,  I  replied  that  I  would  like  to  be  with  him  again,  but 
as  the  schooner  would  only  be  out  four  months,  thought 
it  best  to  remain  with  her  and  finish  the  voyage. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "you  can  do  so  if  you  prefer,  but  I 
would  like  to  have  you  with  me,  and  if  you  will  say  the 
word,  I  will  send  a  boat  alongside  about  nine  this  even 
ing,  and  all  you  will  have  to  do  will  be  to  get  into  her  and 
come  aboard." 

I  thanked  him  for  his  kindly  consideration,  but  thought 
he  had  better  not  send  the  boat,  and  that  when  I  came 
back  to  Hobartstown  I  might  ship  with  him,  and  with 
that  understanding  he  left  us.  I  never  saw  him  or  his 
brig  afterward. 

We  saw  one  whale  a  few  days  after  the  brig  left  the 
bay.  We  gave  chase  with  two  boats  for  about  ten  miles, 
but  he  went  like  a  race  horse,  and  we  could  not  catch  him 
and  had  to  give  him  up.  We  thought  that  perhaps  he 
was  not  worth  the  trouble  of  catching,  since  he  must  have 
run  all  the  fat  out  of  him  through  making  such  wonder 
ful  speed,  so  called  him  a  dry  shin,  and  let  him  go  like  a 
bunch  of  sour  grapes. 

We  found  there  were  no  whales  in  the  bay,  so  we  ran 
into  a  little  bay  farther  down  the  coast,  where  we  dropped 
anchor  and  sent  the  boats  on  shore  to  look  out  for 
whales.  Out  about  two  months,  we  had  seen  one  whale 
in  the  distance.  By  that  time  I  concluded  there  was  no 
money  in  whales  for  me.  I  began  to  feel  homesick,  and 
made  up  my  mind  to  run  away.  I  had  become  quite 
proficient  at  that,  so  I  broached  the  subject  one  day  to  a 
young  fellow  who  was  as  sick  of  the  business  as  myself. 
He  readily  entered  into  my  plans,  so,  one  morning  when 
the  boats  went  ashore,  we  filled  our  pockets  with  bread 
and  meat  and  went  ashore  likewise. 

When  boats  are  sent  ashore  in  this  manner,  the  crew 
all  land  except  one  man,  who  remains  in  a  boat.  After 


I3O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

the  men  are  landed,  the  boat  is  hauled  off  a  little  and 
anchored,  yet  near  enough  to  the  shore,  when  swung 
around,  to  allow  the  crew  to  get  in  at  the  stern  end,  so 
that,  if  whales  are  discovered,  the  crew  can  get  on  board 
quickly  and  start  on  the  chase.  We  agreed  to  remain  in 
the  boats  that  morning.  The  crew  well  out  of  sight,  we 
pulled  the  two  boats  upon  the  rocks,  jumped  out,  and 
started  by  land  around  the  little  bay.  We  were  soon  in 
the  thick  forest,  and  after  a  few  hours  of  travel  we  came 
to  a  clearing  of  some  ten  acres.  Near  one  side  of  the 
clearing  was  a  farmhouse.  We  skirted  the  clearing,  and 
getting  about  half-way  around  it,  came 'to  a  road  which 
led  away  into  the  country.  We  concluded  that  the  road 
led  to  Hobartstown,  so  we  took  to  it  at  once,  and  pushed 
forward  at  a  good  speed. 

In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  heard  a  noise  be 
hind  us,  and  looking  back  in  the  distance  through  the 
forest  we  saw  two  men  on  horseback.  We  thought, 
naturally,  that  they  were  after  us,  so  we  sprang  into  the 
forest,  and  coming  to  a  log  we  quickly  hid  behind  it,  and 
were  soon  hugging  the  ground  as  closely  as  we  could. 
I  felt  quite  safe,  for  I  had  found  in  a  former  emergency 
that  the  friendly  protection  of  a  log  was  quite  ample  for 
a  short  time.  The  men  rode  by  without  halting  and 
were  soon  out  of  sight.  We  concluded  we  were  not  the 
game  they  were  hunting,  and  we  were  soon  on  the  road 
again.  My  companion,  much  younger  than  I,  was  not 
used  to  such  a  tramp  and  could  not  keep  up  with  me, 
and  we  each  had  quite  a  bundle  of  clothing  that  we  had 
smuggled  ashore  when  we  left  the  schooner.  My  friend 
lagged  behind,  which  I  knew  would  not  do,  so  I  took  his 
load  upon  my  back,  which  gave  me  a  double  load  to 
carry,  but  I  was  equal  to  the  task.  We  pushed  on  until 
sundown,  and  then  camped  away  from  the  road  far 
enough  to  hide  ourselves  should  there  be  any  nocturnal 
travellers  on  the  road. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  13! 

The  next  day  we  passed  through  a  little  hamlet,  but 
spoke  to  no  one,  having  no  time  to  form  new  acquaint 
ances.  We  passed  that  day  and  the  next  without  trouble. 
On  the  third  day  we  came  to  a  river  at  sundown,  about 
three  miles  from  Hobartstown.  The  river  was  a  half- 
mile  wide,  and  was  crossed  by  a  ferryboat.  When  we 
applied  for  passage,  we  found  we  were  to  be  interviewed 
by  officers.  They  thought  us  escaped  prisoners.  My 
friend  had  come  from  England  but  a  short  time  before, 
and  had  got  his  discharge  from  the  ship,  which  he  hap 
pened  to  have  in  his  pocket.  He  showed  his  papers  to 
the  officers,  and  then  they  wanted  to  see  my  proof.  I 
told  them  I  had  belonged  to  the  same  vessel,  but  had 
lost  my  discharge.  After  using  much  persuasion  they 
let  us  over,  and  we  were  soon  in  town  and  well  housed 
with  one  of  my  old  friends. 

The  vessel,  the  keel  of  which  was  laid  some  eighteen 
months  before,  was  finished  and  launched,  and  nearly  ready 
for  sailing.  She  was  going  to  Melbourne,  and  from  thence 
to  Geelong,  a  little  town  on  one  side  of  the  harbor  at 
Port  Philip.  Melbourne  lies  at  the  upper  end  of  the  same 
harbor.  She  was  to  take  a  cargo  of  wool  and  tallow  for 
London.  When  I  heard  that  she  was  soon  going  to 
England,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  ship  in  her 
and  perhaps  get  away  from  the  country.  Starting  out  to 
find  the  captain  or  owners,  I  soon  learned  that  they 
wanted  more  hands.  They  asked  if  I  was  an  able  sea 
man  ;  I  told  them  that  I  was,  and  they  put  my  name 
down  at  once  at  two  pounds  ten  a  month.  I  received 
one  month's  pay  in  advance  ;  and  as  the  vessel  was  to  sail 
in  a  week,  I  took  my  money  and  began  to  get  together 
an  outfit,  such  as  blankets  and  other  clothing  which  I 
would  need  for  the  voyage. 

There  was  at  that  time  many  small  tradesfolk  who 
kept  blankets  and  other  small  articles,  which  they  bought 


132  THE   ADVENTURES   OF   A 

of  the  convicts  who  had  finished  their  terms,  and  on 
leaving  the  country  sold  the  blankets,  being  allowed  to 
do  so.  All  such  goods  have  the  government  mark,  such 
as  the  crowfoot  or  broad  R,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  and 
B.  O.  for  bond  of  ordinance,  besides  many  other  marks  and 
figures.  In  my  hunt  I  found  a  woman  who  had  some  of 
those  blankets.  They  were  just  what  I  wanted,  for  the 
English  government  blankets  are  the  best  in  the  world, 
thick,  heavy,  and  durable.  I  bought  two  at  half  a  crown 
each.  It  was  very  fortunate  for  me  that  the  woman  knew 
all  the  marks  and  figures  that  were  on  the  blankets.  I 
had  seen  so  many  of  the  articles  with  the  government 
mark  on  them  that  I  paid  no  particular  attention  to  them. 
On  my  way  down  the  street  I  came  to  a  little  store  that 
was  kept  by  a  woman  whose  husband  was  book-keeper 
for  Mr.  Johnson,  the  merchant  who  owned  the  schooner 
I  had  left  a  few  days  since.  I  wanted  a  few  small  articles, 
so  put  my  blankets  on  a  bench  near  the  door.  A  few 
blankets  belonging  to  the  store  were  piled  on  one  end  of 
the  bench.  I  thought  nothing  of  that ;  there  was  plenty 
of  room  on  the  other  end  and  some  two  feet  distant  from 
the  woman's  blankets.  I  went  in,  bought  what  I  wanted, 
and  paid  her  what  she  said  they  came  to,  and  then  be 
took  myself  and  my  blankets  to  the  ship,  which  lay  at  the 
wharf  nearly  opposite  the  store  where  the  woman's  hus 
band  worked. 

I  went  on  board,  put  my  blankets  into  my  berth,  and 
then  went  up  to  my  boarding-house.  In  the  afternoon 
that  book-keeper  came  in  and  accused  me  of  stealing  a 
pair  of  his  blankets.  He  said  that  his  wife  saw  me  take 
them  from  the  bench.  Furthermore,  he  had  been  on 
board,  looked  the  blankets  over,  and  could  swear  to  the 
marks  on  them.  I  saw  at  a  glance  that  the  fellow  had 
the  thing  all  his  own  way,  if  the  woman  of  whom  I 
bought  the  blankets  could  not  identify  them  or  describe 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  133 

their  marks,  I  would,  perhaps,  have  to  stay  seven 
years  longer  in  the  country  whether  I  wanted  to  or  not, 
and  sleep  every  night  under  the  same  kind  of  blankets, 
and  also  wear  a  garb  with  the  same  marks  on  them.  I 
learned  that  when  he  went  to  dinner  his  wife  told  him 
that  I  had  stolen  a  pair  of  her  blankets,  and  that  she  saw 
me  take  them  from  the  bench  and  carry  them  off  under 
my  arm. 

I  had  told  the  woman  what  ship  I  belonged  to,  with  the 
result  that  after  dinner  the  fellow  went  to  the  ship  and 
found  out  by  some  of  the  men  where  my  berth  was  and 
had  taken  down  the  numbers  and  other  marks  on  them. 
No  two  blankets  are  marked  alike,  every  one  being  a 
little  different.  I  had  not  noticed  the  numbers  or  marks, 
while  he  could  swear  to  all  of  them.  So  sure  was  he 
that  I  had  stolen  them,  because  his  wife  saw  me  take 
them,  I  thought  my  chances  slim,  but  was  not  ready  to 
give  up  without  a  struggle  for  liberty.  I  explained  about 
purchasing  them,  but  he  would  not  believe  me.  Finally 
I  proposed  we  go  with  my  friend,  the  man  with  whom 
I  boarded,  to  the  woman's  house  that  he  might  in 
terview  her,  to  which  he  agreed.  Upon  arriving  at  the 
house,  he  would  not  allow  me  to  go  in,  thinking  I  would 
give  the  woman  a  hint.  So  he  and  my  friend  went  in. 
While  they  were  inside,  which  was  for  about  twenty 
minutes,  I  prayed  hard  for  that  woman's  memory.  When 
they  came  out  the  fellow  looked  crestfallen,  and  I  knew 
the  woman's  memory  had  saved  me.  My  friend  said  that 
she  proved  beyond  a  doubt  I  had  bought  the  blankets  of 
her,  for  she  described  every  mark  that  was  on  them,  at 
which  he  very  reluctantly  gave  in.  Then  thinking  he 
must  say  something,  he  declared  I  had  not  paid  for  the 
things  bought  in  the  store.  I  replied  I  had  paid  all  his 
wife  asked.  He  insisted  that  I  had  cheated  her  out  of 
something.  I  replied  if  he  could  prove  that  I  owed  either 


134  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

him  or  his  wife,  I  was  ready  to  pay.  He  finally  left  us 
rather  abruptly  and  went  on  to  his  store,  which  was  the 
last  I  saw  of  him. 

Two  or  three  days  after  we  sailed  for  Melbourne, 
where  we  stopped  a  few  hours  and  then  went  around  to 
Geelong,  where  we  dropped  anchor  and  lay  four  months 
taking  in  wool  and  tallow.  Sheep  and  cattle  in  that  part 
of  Australia  were  slaughtered  simply  for  the  hides,  wool, 
and  tallow.  Beef  and  mutton  were  a  penny  a  pound, 
take  your  cut  where  you  pleased. 

We  had  been  there  some  four  weeks  when  a  strange- 
looking  craft  came  in  and  dropped  anchor  near  us.  We 
could  not  tell  whether  she  was  a  Dutch  galley  yacht, 
Chinese  junk,  or  Noah's  ark,  until,  catching  sight  of  her 
figurehead,  I  knew  in  a  moment  what  the  craft  was.  It 
proved  to  be  the  old  brig  which  I  helped  build  on  the 
west  side  of  the  island,  whose  designer  and  builder  was 
the  man  I  performed  the  surgical  operation  on.  She 
had  afterwards  been  finished  and  was  in  the  coasting 
trade.  The  carpenter  who  built  her  belonged  in  the 
northern  part  of  England,  where  he  had  been  used  to 
building  vessels  square  at  both  ends,  and  this  craft  was  of 
that  model.  She  had  a  native  model  for  a  figurehead, 
which  I  remembered  seeing  when  it  was  being  carved. 

I  went  ashore  but  once  during  the  four  months'  stay 
and  then  for  a  half-hour  only.  I  determined  to  stay  by 
the  ship  until  she  hauled  into  the  dock  in  London.  I 
had  been  disappointed  too  many  times  to  take  any 
chances  of  being  left  again.  It  appears  very  strange  to 
me  now  as  I  think  of  it ;  it  was  fate,  seemingly,  that  pur 
sued  me.  Then,  above  all  others,  was  the  time  when  I 
should  have  run  away.  Had  I  done  so,  I  might  have 
been  the  first  man  to  discover  gold  on  a  large  scale  in 
Australia.  I  made  it  a  point  always  when  I  ran  away 
from  a  vessel  to  get  back  into  the  forest  as  far  as  I  could ; 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  135 

and  had  I  run  away  at  Geelong,  I  would  have  gone  in 
land  where  the  sheep  ranches  were,  near  Ballarat,  and 
which  is  about  sixty  miles  from  Geelong. 

Every  one  knows  the  history  of  the  Ballarat  gold  mines. 
I  always  had  a  desire  to  look  into  things,  and  to  examine 
rocks  and  other  objects  in  different  countries  in  which  I 
happened  to  be,  and  am  quite  certain  that  I  would  have 
found  gold,  when  it  is  considered  how  easily  it  was  dis 
covered.  It  appeared  to  be  scattered  everywhere  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground  as  well  as  in  it.  At  Ballarat  there 
was  one  gulch  that  was  quite  shallow,  out  of  which  fifteen 
hundred  pounds  weight  were  taken.  It  ran  into  a  flat 
where  the  depth,  from  surface  to  bed  rock,  was  over  one 
hundred  feet.  Seven  sailors  sank  a  shaft  into  that  flat, 
which  shaft  had  to  be  timbered.  They  went  below  salt 
water.  The  first  tub  of  dirt  from  the  bottom  yielded  them 
twelve  pounds  of  gold. 

It  used  to  be  law  among  the  miners  that  if  one  man 
drifted  on  to  another  man's  claim,  to  fine  him  five  pounds 
sterling.  It  was  found  that  law  would  not  do.  A  man 
might  take  out  several  hundred  dollars  and  only  have  to 
pay  about  twenty-five.  The  law  was  changed.  Out  of  a 
pan  of  dirt,  obtained  by  an  act  of  trespass,  the  trespasser 
was  fined  as  much  as  the  dirt  would  pay  upon  washing. 
One  man  worked  over  his  line  and  one  foot  on  his  neigh 
bor's  claim.  He  took  out  one  pan  of  dirt  and  washed  it. 
It  paid  one  thousand  pounds  sterling  to  the  foot.  The 
fellow  paid  a  thousand  pounds  fine,  and  then  offered  to 
pay  another  thousand  pounds  for  another  foot  of  the 
same  ground,  but  the  neighbor  would  not  sell.  This 
shows  what  might  have  been  had  I  left  the  ship  at  that 
place. 

My  gold  hunting  in  Australia  happened  a  few  years 
later  on.  This  was  early  in  1847.  Our  cargo  on  board 
and  stowed  snugly  away  in  the  ship's  hold,  there  was 


136  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

nothing  to  keep  us  longer,  so  we  up  anchor  and  were 
soon  out  to  sea  again.  The  ship's  head  was  turned 
toward  Cape  Horn,  and  arrived  near  the  Cape  ere  many 
weeks  passed.  We  had  a  fair  wind  until  we  got  quite 
around  the  Horn.  It  is  well  known  among  nautical  men 
that  in  doubling  Cape  Horn  from  the  Pacific  to  the 
Atlantic,  the  wind  is  generally  fair,  and  oppositely  true 
going  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 

The  captain  thought  he  shipped  twenty  able  seamen 
and  six  boy  apprentices  ;  but  when  we  got  out  to  sea  it 
was  found  that  only  about  one  half  of  the  crew  could 
steer  the  ship  when  in  a  heavy  sea  and  before  the  wind. 
I  was  one  of  the  few  who  could  handle  her  in  any  sea  or 
weather.  She  steered  very  hard,  and  off  Cape  Horn 
among  the  heavy  seas,  which  I  believe  are  much  higher 
than  elsewhere,  we  had  to  have  a  man  at  the  lee  -wheel 
to  help  to  turn  it.  Stationed  at  the  wheel  one  night, 
the  rain  falling  fast,  I  had  a  big  Dutchman  at  the  lee 
wheel ;  and  we  were  running  with  lower  studding  sails. 
The  captain  thought  the  weather  might  be  too  severe  in 
the  night,  and  he  ordered  them  taken  in.  I  could  not 
see  forward  very  well,  it  was  so  dark  and  raining  quite 
hard,  so  had  to  steer  altogether  by  the  compass.  When 
I  could  see  the  ship's  head  or  the  stars,  I  used  them  as 
much  as  the  compass,  although  running  on  a  set  course. 
The  binnacle  glass  under  which  the  compass  was  located 
was  so  wet  that  I  could  not  see  the  compass.  I  therefore 
told  the  Dutchman  to  hold  her  steady  a  moment.  I  let 
go,  and  one  step  took  me  to  the  binnacle.  I  had  given 
it  one  wipe,  looked  at  the  compass,  whirled  around  and 
caught  the  wheel  just  in  time  to  keep  the  Dutchman 
from  going  over  my  head.  At  the  same  time  there  was 
music  ahead.  It  appeared  that  the  vessel  had  got  nearly 
aback  forward,  and  the  sails  were  slapping  furiously. 
The  studding  sail  had  got  aback  and  nearly  thrown  three 
men  overboard. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  137 

The  captain  was  on  the  poop  deck  in  a  trice  and  wanted 
to  know  what  I  was  trying  to  do.  I  told  him  that  I  could 
not  see  the  compass  and  did  not  want  too  long  to  steer 
by  the  wind ;  and  had  told  the  lee  helmsman  to  hold  her 
steady  a  moment  while  I  wiped  the  water  from  the  bin 
nacle  light,  and  he  had  nearly  allowed  her  to  broach  to. 

The  captain  took  the  Dutchman  in  hand  and  dressed 
him  down  handsomely  for  about  ten  minutes. 

"  You  came  on  board,"  said  he,  "  as  an  able  seaman, 
and  you  cannot  stand  at  the  lee  wheel  alone  for  a  moment 
without  endangering  our  lives  or  sinking  the  ship  !  " 

All  sailors  know  where  we  would  have  gone  had  the 
ship  got  all  aback  forward  under  a  ten  or  twelve  knot  wind, 
with  the  ship  in  a  trough  of  the  sea,  with  waves  ahead  one 
hundred  feet  high  and  rising  up  from  the  ship  at  an  angle  of 
forty-five  degrees.  It  has  been  said  that  waves  seldom 
rise  over  forty  feet.  Any  one  who  has  doubled  Cape 
Horn  knows  better.  When  one  has  to  look  upward  at 
an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees  to  see  a  vessel  that  is  a 
mile  off,  and  one  can  see  nearly  her  entire  keel,  as  I  have, 
one  knows  the  waves  can  sometimes  reach  a  higher  alti 
tude  than  forty  feet. 

When  I  let  go  the  wheel,  it  threw  all  of  the  water  on  to 
the  Dutchman,  and  he  began  to  ease  a  little ;  and  the 
ship  swung  a  little  near  the  wind.  As  a  consequence  she 
would  crowd  the  man  at  the  wheel  a  little  harder,  and 
he,  not  knowing  how  to  check  her,  would  at  once  have 
been  all  in  the  wind,  and  all  hands  would  have  gone 
down  with  the  ship  stern  first.  Had  I  not  checked  her, 
in  five  minutes  more  we  would  have  all  been  buried  a 
hundred  feet  beneath  the  ocean. 

I  was  taken  ill  soon  after  we  rounded  the  Cape,  and 
was  sick  for  a  week.  A  day  or  two  before  I  got  about, 
while  in  a  very  rough  sea,  the  ship  rolling  and  pitching 
a  good  deal,  I  lay  in  my  berth  in  the  topgallant  fore- 


138  THE   ADVENTURES    OF    A 

castle  where  I  could  look  out  on  to  the  deck,  through  a 
hole  over  the  windlass.  About  four  in  the  afternoon  I 
heard  a  terrible  snapping  on  deck,  and  the  men  were 
running  in  all  directions.  I  saw  the  third  mate  run  a 
little  way  up  the  main  rigging  with  a  yard  or  two  of  small 
rope  in  his  hand ;  he  stopped  climbing  and  began  to  sing 
out  for  some  one  to  go  up  ahead  of  him  and  lash  the  spars 
that  were  hanging  aloft  and  swinging  every  way,  and  likely 
to  break  away  at  any  moment  and  come  down  on  deck  or 
go  overboard.  A  number  of  the  ship's  crew  stood  on 
the  deck  looking  up  at  him,  but  no  one  cared  to  try  to 
lash  the  spars.  I  could  not  quite  see  what  was  the 
matter,  but  knew  it  must  be  something  serious.  I  had  on 
but  my  shirt  and  drawers.  I  did  not  mind  that.  Out  I 
went  through  the  hole,  over  the  windlass  and  over  to 
the  main  rigging.  I  saw  at  once  the  trouble ;  the  fore- 
topmast  was  broken  off  just  above  the  cap,  and,  when 
that  went,  the  main  topgallant  mast  just  above  the  loops 
of  the  fore  and  aft  stays  which  run  from  the  top  of  the 
foremast-head  and  then  looped  around  the  top  of  the 
main  topmast,  which  was  broken  also,  it  will  readily  be 
seen  that  the  main  topgallant  mast  broken  close  down 
to  those  loops,  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  the  loops 
slipping  off  at  any  moment  with  the  ship  pitching  and 
rolling  heavily,  while  the  topgallant  mast  and  yard  with 
sail  furled  swung  away  to  come  back  with  a  furious  blow 
against  the  stay. 

The  mate  wanted  some  one  to  go  up,  and  then  down 
that  stay  some  six  feet,  and  when  the  yard  and  mast 
swung  in  to  catch  them  and  lash  them  to  the  stay,  also 
to  lash  the  fore  and  aft  stays  more  securely  to  the  top 
of  the  mast. 

I  started  up  at  once  over  the  man's  head  and  caught 
the  rope  in  his  hand.  Up  I  went,  then  down  to  the  stay 
head  first  with  my  feet  clinched  around  it  behind  me.  I 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  139 

caught  the  yard  and  mast  as  they  came  in  and  lashed 
them  and  came  down. 

The  mate  told  me  to  go  into  the  cabin  and  get  an  extra 
glass  of  grog,  but  I  went  straight  to  my  berth. 

I  was  out  and  at  work  soon  after  that.  We  had  no 
further  trouble  during  the  voyage,  and  arrived  in  Lon 
don  about  the  first  of  March,  1848.  We  hauled  into  Saint 
Catharine's  dock  and  made  fast,  and  the  ship  was  soon  full 
of  boarding-house  keepers  hunting  for  boarders.  Three 
of  us  were  soon  picked  up  by  one  of  them,  and  we  started 
up  the  wharf  and  were  soon  out  on  to  the  street. 

I  was  extremely  happy  to  get  my  feet  on  land  again 
north  of  the  line,  and  then  it  was  a  step  nearer  home,  or 
toward  it. 

We  soon  were  domiciled  in  the  boarding-house,  and 
the  next  day  I  went  with  my  boarding-house  keeper  and 
bought  a  suit  of  fashionable  clothing,  from  a  beaver  hat 
down.  I  found  after  about  seven  years  of  experience  at 
the  antipodes  that  my  head  had  got  its  growth,  and  there 
was  more  in  it  than  when  I  left  Canada.  In  about  three 
days  we  were  paid  off.  I  received  eighteen  pounds  for 
my  eight  months  on  the  ship. 

There  was  a  young  fellow  on  board  who  knew  my  old 
friend  S.  whom  I  left  at  Murray  River.  My  friend  S.  told  me 
if  I  ever  came  to  London  to  look  him  up,  and  that  I  would 
find  him  at  the  London  Stock  Exchange.  His  father 
was  a  member  of  the  Exchange,  and  he  intended  on  his 
return  to  enter  into  the  same  business.  I  felt  a  hesi 
tancy  about  hunting  him  up,  knowing  his  social  standing 
at  home,  while  I  was  only  a  common  sailor.  This  young 
man  had  come  to  England  after  a  fortune  that  had  been 
left  him  by  friends  in  Liverpool.  I  told  him  where  Mr. 
S.  was,  and  that  he  might  say  to  him  that  I  was  in 
London  and  stopping  at Hotel,  on  Radcliffe  High 
way.  He  said  that  he  would  call  on  him  after  his  return 
from  Liverpool. 


I4O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

I  never  saw  him  afterward,  but  he  delivered  my  mes 
sage. 

I  knocked  about  the  city  sight- seeing,  and  went  to 
some  of  the  theatres,  museums,  a  celebrated  museum  of 
wax  figures,  and  many  other  places  of  interest,  such  as 
Stepping  Fair,  Rag  Fair,  Petticoat  Lane,  Whitechapel, 
the  Tower,  and  Newgate.  I  was  not  able  to  get  inside  of 
this  latter  massive  structure,  the  granite  walls  of  which 
are  black  with  age. 

London  proper  looks  like  a  city  that  was  built  about 
four  thousand  years  backhand  had  perhaps  been  buried 
beneath  their  accumulated  rubbish,  to  be  finally  brought 
to  the  light  of  day,  like  Pompeii. 

The  city  has  not  yet  cast  off  her  winding  sheets,  since 
she  is  forever  wrapped  in  fog  or  smoke,  so  that  the  sun 
seldom  has  a  chance  to  look  down  the  streets. 

The  famous  dwarf,  Tom  Thumb,  had  left  London  some 
two  weeks  before  I  arrived.  I  found  that  he  had  left  some 
thing  for  the  cockneys  to  remember  him  by.  While  at 
Madam  Tussaud's  Wax  Figures,  I  saw  Queen  Victoria  and 
Prince  Albert  in  wax,  life  size,  and  by  their  side  stood  Tom 
Thumb  dressed  a  la  Napoleon.  The  queen  presented 
Tom  Thumb  with  a  pair  of  ponies  and  a  carriage  to 
match ;  the  whole  outfit,  with  Tom  in  the  carriage,  was 
put  on  to  a  platform  mounted  on  wheels,  and  with  four 
horses  were  drawn  through  the  principal  streets. 

After  I  had  been  in  the  city  about  a  month,  I  found 
that  my  money  was  getting  painfully  short.  I  finally 
had  spent  my  last  shilling,  and  in  order  to  hold  over  a 
little  longer,  exchanged  my  nice  suit  of  store  clothing 
and  beaver  hat  for  something  cheaper,  and  received  a  few 
shillings  to  boot.  I  then  began  to  hunt  for  a  ship  to  go 
to  the  United  States.  I  could  find  no  American  ships  in 
need  of  help,  so  I  went  to  an  English  vessel  and  found 
that  I  could  not  ship  until  I  had  a  registered  ticket. 


SEVEN  TEEN- YEAR- OLD   LAD.  141 

Similar  to  the  American  protection,  it  entitles  the  holder 
to  protection  by  the  country  that  issues  the  ticket.  After 
obtaining  one,  I  was  rated  as  a  British  seaman  and  could 
get  a  British  ship  any  time,  and  wanted  to  ship  very 
badly  just  then.  I  found  one  that  was  going  to  New 
York,  shipped  at  once  and  received  one  month's  advance 
of  two  pounds  ten.  I  was  "flush"  again,  for  a  few  days. 
The  vessel  lay  at  a  place  called  Black  Wall,  some  three 
miles  from  the  city  proper. 

My  money  was  soon  pretty  low.  London,  like  all  cities, 
has  abundant  opportunties  where  one  can  lose  a  deal  of 
money  in  a  very  short  time,  unless  one  sews  his  pockets 
up  tightly.  I  took  the  elevated  cars  across  the  city.  At 
Black  Wall  I  found  the  ship,  and  was  told  she  would  not 
be  ready  to  sail  for  two  weeks.  My  lip  hung  low  when 
I  heard  that.  Before  returning  to  London  I  decided 
to  look  the  place  over  a  little.  I  sauntered  down 
the  dock.  I  saw  some  men  building  a  fence  across  the 
end  of  the  wharf.  When  I  came  to  them  I  saw  the  cause 
of  the  fence.  A  few  rods  from  the  wharf,  riding  at 
anchor,  was  a  Chinese  junk  just  from  Boston,  Mass., 
where  she  had  been  on  exhibition.  The  men  said  that 
the  queen  was  coming  down  at  ten  o'clock  to  see  the 
junk.  I  looked  the  strange  craft  over,  and  took  the  half 
past  nine  train  to  the  city. 

I  would  have  had  a  chance  to  see  the  queen  had  I 
waited  a  half-hour,  but  I  did  not  somehow  care  to  see 
her.  I  thought  it  strange  for  people,  who  had  always 
lived  in  London,  to  rally  to  see  a  woman  on  horseback 
or  in  a  carriage ;  but  they  did  it  by  the  tens  of  thousands, 
and  I  suppose  always  will. 

In  the  city  again,  I  could  not  stand  it  long  without 
money,  so  began  to  look  for  a  ship  that  would  sail  in  a 
day  or  two.  I  soon  found  the  New  York  packet,  of 
Greenock,  Scotland,  and  shipped  in  her  to  sail  the  next 


142  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

day  for  New  York  with  passengers,  thence  to  St.  John's, 
New  Brunswick,  and  back  to  London  again.  I  had  to 
ship  for  the  voyage,  and  take  my  chances  of  getting 
away  at  New  York.  If  I  could  only  get  sight  of  Yankee- 
land,  I  should  be  happy.  My  past  experience  in  getting 
clear  of  vessels  had  not  been  forgotten. 

I  got  my  advance,  and  went  to  the  man  who  had 
shipped  me  in  the  other,  and  paid  him  the  money  that  I 
had  from  him.  The  change  gave  me  no  more  money,  but 
a  chance  to  get  out  of  the  country  at  once.  I  thought  I 
had  seen  London,  both  above  ground  and  under  ground, 
as  I  had  been  through  the  Thames  tuunel  several  times. 
About  half-way  through  the  tunnel  a  place  was  boxed 
up  and  the  water  was  trickling  down  a  little.  When  the 
tunnel  was  being  constructed  a  brig  dropped  her  anchor 
over  it  and  the  bottom  of  the  river  dropped  out  at  the 
same  time  and  filled  the  tunnel  with  water. 

A  few  years  later  I  met  the  man  who  stopped  that 
hole.  A  large  canvas  tarpaulin  was  made  and  sunk,  with 
weights  at  each  corner,  over  the  hole.  Then  bags  of 
sand  were  piled  on  and  kept  drawing  in  toward  the 
centre  until  the  hole  was  finally  stopped,  the  water  being 
pumped  at  the  shaft  at  the  end  of  the  tunnel.  This  man 
had  made  money  enough  to  take  him  to  Chili,  and  from 
there  to  California,  where  I  met  him. 

One  day  before  my  money  gave  out  I  fell  in  with  the 
keeper  of  the  queen's  park,  and  he  was  a  royal  good 
fellow.  We  went  over  a  number  of  streets  sight-seeing. 
The  English  people  who  are  above  the  ordinary  class  of 
people  drink  much  gin  and  brandy,  while  the  laboring 
class  take  along  to  their  work  a  lunch  of  bread  and 
cheese,  and  at  dinner-time  go  to  a  tap-room,  of  which 
there  are  many,  for  a  pot  of  half-and-half,  which  with 
bread  and  cheese  make  their  mid-day  meal. 

I  noticed  the  keeper  of  the  royal  park  would  stop  at 


SEVENTEEN -YEAR-OLD    LAD.  143 

about  all  the  tap-rooms  that  we  came  to  and  call  for  gin. 
Although  not  caring  for  liquor,  yet  I  could  take  a 
glass  with  a  friend.  I  could  not  very  well  refuse  to 
drink  with  my  new  friend,  so,  out  of  deference,  would 
take  a  sip,  and  when  his  back  was  turned  I  would  pour 
the  liquor  on  the  floor.  After  one  or  two  hours  I  found 
that  my  head  was  getting  pretty  heavy,  and  things  began 
to  look  rather  dizzy,  but  my  legs  were  steady  enough. 
I  made  some  excuse  about  the  boarding-house  and  bade 
him  good  day,  starting  on  a  blind  hunt  for  my  boarding- 
house.  I  somehow  found  that  haven  of  rest,  and  made 
for  bed.  I  thought  the  whole  city  was  having  a  dance. 
Everything  was  going  around  like  a  top,  —  chairs,  tables, 
water-pots,  and  bowls  alike ;  the  house  seemed  to  be 
bringing  up  the  rear.  I  grasped  the  bed  to  keep  myself 
from  being  thrown  out,  and  finally  lost  myself  in  the 
whirl.  After  sleeping  about  four  hours,  I  came  to  life 
again  with  something  of  a  headache.  I  took  good 
care  after  that  not  to  sip  again,  no  matter  with  whom  I 
might  be. 

Saturday,  the  8th  of  April,  1848,  the  day  that  I  was  to 
sail,  had  arrived.  We  were  to  haul  out  of  the  dock  that 
afternoon  at  four  o'clock.  I  was  at  a  hotel 'on  Radcliffe 
Highway  at  about  ten,  when  some  one  opened  the  door 
and  stepped  in. 

He  was  a  man  dressed  in  the  height  of  London  fash 
ion.  He  carried  that  never-to-be-left-behind  umbrella, 
which  every  Englishman  takes  when  he  goes  on  the 
street.  I  turned  partly  around  facing  him.  The  mo 
ment  I  caught  his  eye  I  knew  him,  and  he  recognized  me. 

He  exclaimed,  "  Why,  Jack!  "  as  he  always  called  me, 
"  I  have  found  you  at  last." 

"Why,"  said  I,  "  is  it  possible  that  this  is  Mr.  S.  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  he,  and  then  told  me  about  looking  for 
me  since  seven  o'clock  that  morning.  He  said  my  young 


144  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

friend  told  him  I  was  in  London  only  a  day  or  two  since, 
and  also  what  ship  I  came  in.  He  said  Saturdays  were 
his  days  off,  and  he  had  started  on  a  hunt  for  me. 

Living  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  Thames,  he 
had  taken  a  groom  and  two  horses  and  rode  down  to  the 
ferry,  and  then  sent  his  groom  back  with  the  horses  and 
taken  the  boat  over  to  London.  He  went  first  to  the 
ship  in  which  I  had  come  to  London.  There  he  was 
told  what  ship  I  was  in,  which  was  down  at  Black  Wall, 
and  down  there  he  went  and  learned  that  I  had  since 
shipped  in  the  New  York  packet  to  sail  that  day.  Back 
to  London  again,  and  down  to  the  vessel,  he  learned  I 
was  at  a  hotel  on  Radcliffe  Highway,  where  he  found  me. 

When  he  learnrd  I  was  to  sail  that  afternoon,  he  ad 
vised  me  to  go  home  and  see  my  friends.  He  also  had 
known  what  it  was  to  be  absent  from  home  a  long  time. 

He  told  me  that  I  ought  to  have  come  to  him  at 
once,  as  I  knew  where  to  find  him ;  that  I  could  have  seen 
a  great  deal  more  of  London,  and  it  would  not  have  cost 
me  anything  ;  and  that  when  I  was  ready  to  go  home 
he  would  have  paid  my  passage  to  any  part  of  the  United 
States.  Finding  I  had  no  money,  he  pulled  out  his 
wallet  and  divided  the  contents  with  me,  and  further  as 
sured  me,  had  he  known  or  thought  of  finding  me  hard 
up,  he  would  have  brought  me  forty  or  fifty  sovereigns. 
He  said  it  would  have  been  nothing  out  of  his  pocket. 

I  thanked  him  for  his  great  kindness. 

He  intended  on  finding  me  to  take  me  to  his  home, 
but  since  I  had  shipped  and  was  going  to  sail  that  after 
noon,  he  said  that  I  had  better  go  on  home.  We  went 
out  on  to  the  street  for  a  short  walk,  during  which  he  told 
me  what  had  transpired  at  Murray  River  after  I  left.  Mr. 
Morris,  who  was  building  the  brig  that  I  worked  on,  had 
failed,  and  the  brig  was  sold  while  on  the  stocks  ;  and  that 
Mr.  Peel,  who  owned  the  land  from  which  we  cut  the  ma- 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  145 

hogany  to  build  the  brig  with,  had  found  his  land  so 
sterile  that  it  was  not  fit  for  a  sheep  or  cattle  ranch, 
although  it  was  said  that  it  cost  him  but  sixpence  an  acre, 
gave  the  land  back  to  the  government,  sent  his  two 
daughters  home  to  be  educated,  and  what  became  of  him 
my  friend  did  not  say.  His  brother  was  premier  at  that 
time,  Sir  Robert  Peel,  and  I  believe  one  of  the  best  that 
England  ever  had.  My  friend  said  that  shortly  after  the 
brig  was  sold  his  mother  had  sent  him  out  one  thousand 
pounds  and  requested  him  to  pay  his  debts  and  come 
home  at  once,  which  he  did,  as  he  was  as  anxious  to  leave 
the  country  as  I  had  been. 

When  he  arrived  home  his  father  gave  him  a 
thousand  pounds  and  one  month's  time  to  make  up  his 
mind  which  of  two  offers  he  would  accept.  One  was 
that  he  would  buy  and  give  to  him  a  ship  and  he  might 
go  to  sea,  or  he  would  retire  from  the  Stock  Exchange, 
and  the  son  might  take  his  seat.  My  friend  said  that  he 
had  a  royal  good  time  while  that  one  thousand  pounds 
lasted,  and  at  the  end  of  the  month  he  concluded  to  take 
his  father's  seat  in  the  Exchange.  When  he  met  me  he 
had  then  been  nine  months  in  the  business  and  had 
cleared  nine  thousand  pounds  sterling  and  was  in  a  fair 
way  to  soon  accumulate  a  handsome  fortune,  which  I 
have  no  doubt  be  succeeded  in  doing.  While  on  the 
street  we  saw  a  few  of  the  London  upper  circle.  One 
was  Lord  John  Russell  ;  my  friend  said  when  we  saw  him 
ahead  with  that  proverbial  umbrella  in  his  hand,  which  he 
was  using  for  a  cane,  "  Look  !  I  think  he  has  found  some 
good  brandy  this  morning." 

I  thought  that  the  umbrella  was  convenient  even  in  a 
clear  day,  since  it  might  hide  now  and  then  a  moral 
defection. 

The  time  grew  near  when  I  had  to  go  on  board.  My 
friend  said  before  parting  that  I  must  write  him  when  I 


146  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

got  home  and  let  him  know  how  I  found  my  friends, 
etc. 

"  Now,  Jack,  don't  go  home  and  say  that  you  never 
saw  one  true-hearted  Englishman." 

My  friend  was  one  of  the  best  young  men  I  ever  met 
in  any  part  of  this  wide  world,  nor  do  I  expect  to  meet 
his  equal  again.  Such  men  are  few  and  far  between, 
now  as  then. 

To  show  what  stock  he  came  from,  I  will  relate  an  in 
cident  which  happened  a  short  time  before  he  went  to 
Australia.  His  father  had  a  friend,  whom  we  will 
call  Jones.  Jones  had  an  only  son.  It  is  well  known 
that  a  man  in  England  can  cut  his  children  off  with  what 
is  called  "  the  shilling"  ;  that  is  to  say,  leave  them  but 
one  shilling  in  their  will.  Jones,  Jr.,  had  disgraced  his 
sire's  gray  hairs,  and  when  Jones  made  his  will  he  left 
his  large  fortune  to  my  friend,  who  was  the  son  of  Mr. 
Jones's  friend.  The  father  of  Mr.  S.  was  the  custodian  of 
the  will  of  Mr.  Jones.  It  was  locked  up  in  a  safe,  and 
when  Mr.  Jones  died,  Mr.  S.,  Sen.,  took  out  the  will  and 
found  that  Mr.  Jones  had  left  his  entire  fortune  to  his 
son,  amounting  to  one  million  pounds  sterling,  and  but 
one  shilling  to  Jones,  Jr.  Mr.  S.,  Sen.,  threw  the  will  into 
the  fire,  remarking  that  he  had  enough  for  his  son  and  he 
would  not  see  young  Jones  robbed  of  his  fortune  in  that 
way. 

There  are  not  many  men  who  would  have  burned  the 
will;  they  would  not  only  have  taken  it,  but  burned  the 
man's  bones  because  he  did  not  have  double  that  amount 
to  leave  them ;  such  is  the  difference  in  men. 

My  friend  and  I  parted  after  a  hearty  shake  of  hands, 
he  to  go  back  over  the  river,  and  I  to  go  over  the  great 
pond  to  my  home  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  I  was  soon 
on  board.  We  hauled  out  and  ran  down  the  river 
Thames  and  out  into  the  channel.  Soon  out  of  that,  we 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  147 

were  on  the  broad  ocean,  headed  for  New  York.  I  found 
the  food  on  that  vessel  the  worst  that  I  had  ever  seen, 
excepting  none.  The  meat  was  bad  and  the  bread  also. 
About  once  a  week  we  got  a  bit  of  fresh  meat  stewed  up 
with  Scotch  barley  groats,  such  as  they  say  Scotchmen 
get  fat  on,  but  I  think  that  I  would  starve  to  death  on 
such  diet.  As  I  was  going  home,  I  did  not  grumble. 


148  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  ARRIVAL  IN  AMERICA PREVENTS  A  COLLISION  BY  DIS 
OBEYING  ORDERS ONCE  MORE  ESCAPES  FROM  SHIP 
BOARD ON  SHORE  IN  NEW  YORK  AND  PENNILESS 

ENLISTS     IN     THE    NAVY,    BUT   SOON    REPENTS     DOING   SO 

A  VISIT    FROM    A    BROTHER SMALLPOX    BREAKS    OUT 

ON    THE    SHIP FEIGNS    SICKNESS    TO    ESCAPE IN    THE 

HOSPITAL TAKES       LEAVE      WITHOUT      AWAITING      DIS 
CHARGE WORKS     HIS    WAY    ON     THE     TRIP    TO    BOSTON 

HOME    AGAIN    AMONG    FRIENDS. 

ON  our  voyage  nothing  happened  of  note  until  we 
arrived  on  the  coast  off  New  York,  where  it  is  often  very 
foggy.  On  the  6th  of  July  we  came  on  to  the  coast.  I 
was  at  the  wheel  ffom  six  to  eight,  the  dog  watch.  The 
wheel  was  on  the  poop  deck.  It  was  very  foggy,  and  I 
could  not  see  more  than  a  ship's  length  ahead.  A  look 
out  was  stationed  on  the  topgallant  forecastle.  All  at 
once  I  discovered  a  large  ship  straight  ahead.  The 
lookout  shouted,  but  I  saw  the  danger  quite  as  soon  as  he. 
The  law  for  the  guidance  of  nautical  men  in  such  cases 
is,  for  each  vessel  to  put  the  wheel  "  up,"  as  it  is  called ; 
that  is,  to  the  side  of  the  ship  the  wind  is  blowing  from, 
so  the  ship  will  pay  off  farther  from  the  wind.  When 
both  vessels  do  this,  they  are  supposed  to  swing  clear  of 
each  other.  I  was  steering  about  two  points  from  the 
wind ;  in  other  words,  to  bring  her  up  two  points 
would  cause  her  sails  to  be  shivering  in  the  wind  and 
caught  aback.  I  at  once  ran  the  wheel  hard  down,  while 
the  mate  was  singing  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Hard  up  ! 
hard  up ! "  I  paid  no  attention  to  him ;  but  pushed  it 
hard  down,  and  at  the  same  time  kept  my  eyes  on  the 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD. 


149 


ill  llBSilHlii 

^trnjlmim 

' — • — "M":;  __-  l-H-'-il  I  l-M  :  r-r.i  -.'••:  !;..  .L-j^f^^    i. 


.   -44.4, 

A  CLOSE  SHAVE  ON  THE  COAST  OFF  NEW  YORK. 


15O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

ship  ahead  and  the  sails,  so  as  not  to  get  aback  forward. 
Our  vessel  came  up  so  that  the  fore  topgallant  sail  be 
gan  to  tremble  a  little,  and  the  ship  that  was  ahead  shot 
alongside  our  lee.  I  righted  the  wheel  and  kept  the 
ship  steady  until  the  other  one  was  past. 

She  was  within  an  arm's  length  of  us,  but  not  a  word 
was  spoken  on  either  side  until  she  was  past ;  then  they 
sang  out  on  the  other  ship,  "  Well  done,  John  Bull !  " 

She  was  a  whaler.  Her  quarter  boat  just  grazed  our 
bumkin,  a  spar  about  four  feet  long,  secured  to  the 
ship's  quarter  with  a  block  on  the  outer  end,  through 
which  the  main  brace  runs  and  which  is  more  commonly 
used  when  running  with  a  fair  wind.  This  method  makes 
the  brace  less  oblique  when  hauled  taut. 

Had  I  put  the  wheel  "up"  according  to  the  law,  and 
had  they  done  the  same,  we  might  have  fallen  off  about 
one  point,  and  the  other  ship  the  same.  With  each  vessel 
going  about  nine  miles  an  hour,  we  would  have  crashed 
together,  and  both  ships  would  have  sunk. 

The  mate  said  nothing,  but  when  the  captain  came  on 
deck  at  eight  o'clock,  he  wanted  to  know  why  I  did  not 
obey  the  mate's  orders.  I  told  him  that  I  could  see  the 
position  of  both  ships,  and  I  did  the  only  thing  that 
would  save  us. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  if  anything  had  happened  it  would 
have  been  your  fault." 

He  said  nothing  further,  and  I  thought  it  was  my 
fault  that  prevented  something  from  happening.  I 
seemed  to  be  forced,  in  spite  of  myself,  by  some  outside 
power,  to  do  as  I  did.  I  thought  so  at  another  time 
when  I  saved  a  brig  from  total  destruction,  with  about  a 
hundred  lives.  I  then  felt  there  was  some  invisibe  force 
directed  me  for  the  welfare  of  others. 

The  second  incident  happened  just  one  year  later  to 
a  day.  The  first  was  the  6th  of  July,  1848,  between  the 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  15! 

hours  of  six  and  eight  in  the  morning,  and  the  second 
was  the  6th  of  July,  1849,  between  four  and  five  in  the 
afternoon. 

We  soon  dropped  anchor  at  Staten  Island,  where  the 
passengers  had  to  be  examined  by  the  doctors,  and  were 
then  sent  ashore. 

I  found  that  the  ship  was  not  going  any  nearer  the 
city,  therefore  began  to  plan  how  to  escape.  There 
were  seven  of  us  who  wanted  to  leave  the  ship,  so  we 
watched  our  chance  and  soon  got  it.  With  the  exception 
of  four  or  five  cabin  passengers,  all  were  landed.  The 
captain  was  ashore  with  one  boat,  and  one  small  boat 
was  towing  astern,  and  the  third  boat  was  on  the  skids 
overhead,  where  it  would  take  some  time  to  get  her 
down.  While  the  officers  were  at  dinner  in  the  cabin, 
one  man  managed  to  haul  the  boat  from  astern  along 
side  pretty  well  forward,  and  we  seven  were  quickly  in 
the  boat,  and  with  oars  out  we  were  soon  on  our  way  to 
the  city.  About  one  hundred  yards  from  the  vessel,  the 
mate  came  running  forward  and  sang  out  for  us  to  come 
back.  We  shouted  back  if  he  wanted  the  boat,  he  would 
have  to  come  ashore  for  her.  We  pulled  on  until  we  ran 
into  a  dock  where  there  was  a  flight  of  steps  that  led  up 
to  the  wharf.  We  landed,  found  a  dray  on  which  we 
piled  our  luggage,  and,  when  ready  to  start,  who  should 
come  along  but  the  second  mate,  who  had  got  the  boat 
down  from  overhead  and  had  managed  to  get  ashore ! 

He  wanted  to  know  where  the  boat  was.  We  pointed 
to  her,  and  off  we  started  after  the  dray  that  had  by  that 
time  got  well  away  from  the  wharf  with  our  kits.  We 
were  all  soon  snugly  hidden  in  a  boarding-house. 

I  was  ashore  at  last  in  my  own  country,  but  without 
money,  but  I  did  not  much  mind  that.  I  had  been 
through  many  a  tight  place  without  money,  and  thought 
I  could  get  to  Boston  somehow. 


152  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

The  boarding  mistress  was  willing  to  keep  me  until  I 
could  pay  her.  The  second  night  ashore,  while  I  stood 
on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  my  boarding  place,  the  cap 
tain  and  one  of  the  cabin  passengers  came  by.  He 
asked  why  I  had  run  away. 

I  told  him  that  I  had  been  away  seven  years,  and  that 
this  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  landed  on  American 
soil,  and  that  I  wished  to  go  home  to  Boston.  He  said 
that  he  would  like  to  have  me  go  back  with  him. 

I  told  the  woman  I  was  afraid  the  captain  would  come 
back  and  take  me  to  the  ship.  She  gave  me  a  quarter 
to  go  to  the  theatre,  which  I  did,  but  the  captain  did  not 
call  again.  It  was  at  this  boarding-house  that  I  met  my 
old  friend,  the  fifer,  and  leader  of  the  band,  whom  I  left 
at  the  Rosemary  Islands.  He  had  gone  into  business  in 
New  York,  and  was  doing  well  and  was  happy. 

After  being  around  the  boarding-house  a  few  days,  I 
concluded  to  walk  to  Boston.  A  man  who  boarded  at 
the  same  house  also  wanted  to  get  to  Boston.  He  had 
about  two  dollars,  so  we  started  together  one  morning  to 
walk  to  Boston  by  way  of  one  of  the  two  rivers,  but  did 
not  get  far.  I  found  that  my  travelling  companion  would 
stop  whenever  we  came  to  a  place  where  he  could  get 
liquor.  He  had  taken  on  board  more  cargo  than  he 
could  carry  with  safety.  Soon  he  could  neither  tell 
where  he  was  nor  where  he  wanted  to  go.  I  finally  left 
him  on  his  beam  ends  by  the  roadside,  and  turned  back 
for  New  York,  where  I  arrived  about  noon.  I  never 
saw  my  heavy-laden  friend  again. 

On  returning  to  my  boarding-house  I  found  one  of 
the  boarders  was  going  to  ship  in  the  United  States  ser 
vice.  He  knew  I  wanted  to  go  to  Boston,  and  that  I 
had  no  money.  He  said  I  could  ship  in  the  service,  get 
three  months'  advance,  and  would  be  put  on  board  of  the 
receiving  ship.  If  we  were  not  drafted  to  go  to  sea, 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  153 

after  the  three  months  had  expired  I  could  get  my  dis 
charge,  and  then  I  would  have  money  enough  to  get 
home  with. 

I  thought  it  a  good  idea,  so  shipped  with  him  for  three 
years,  and  was  soon  on  board  of  the  "  North  Carolina," 
which  was  then  the  receiving  ship,  anchored  near  the 
navy  yard  at  Brooklyn.  On  board,  I  was  told  my  outfit 
would  be  sent  to  me  in  a  few  days.  I  began  to  look  the 
situation  over,  and  did  not  like  the  appearance  of  things  ; 
but  I  was  on  board  and  could  not  get  ashore  again.  I  was 
told  to  go  down  into  the  doctor's  room,  for  examination. 
I  found  the  doctor  waiting  for  me,  and  was  told  to  "  strip." 
He  made  me  hop  around  like  a  savage  in  a  war  dance. 
I  hoped  he  would  not  pass  me,  having  by  that  time  got 
sick  of  my  venture.  The  doctor  stamped  me  "  O.  K.," 
and  sent  me  on  deck.  The  next  day  my  outfit  came  on 
board,  which  consisted  of  a  blue  jacket  and  pants  of  the 
same  material,  two  pairs  of  duck  pants,  two  white  frocks 
with  wide  collars,  one  blue  shirt,  tarpaulin  hat  and  ham 
mock,  and  one  blanket.  My  three  months'  advance 
came  to  thirty  dollars,  and  the  outfit  to  twenty-eight 
dollars.  I  thought  if  I  got  my  discharge  in  three  months, 
I  would  be  no  better  off  than  before  I  had  shipped.  My 
outfit  could  have  been  bought  for  half  that  sum  at  any 
store ;  but  I  suppose  the  man  who  shipped  me  and  fur 
nished  the  outfit,  like  the  fellow  in  Boston,  thought  he 
would  need  a  pretty  margin,  considering  the  risk  he  was 
running.  The  New-Yorker,  however,  ran  no  risk,  as  he 
got  his  money  the  day  after  the  doctor  passed  me. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  sailors  run  away,  when  they  are 
robbed  in  that  manner  ?  I  began  there  and  then  to  lay 
plans  to  get  away.  I  saw  a  number  of  the  sailors  try  to 
swim  ashore  at  night,  but  all  were  caught  and  brought 
back.  I  dared  not  try  that,  method,  and  knew  that  with 
my  experience,  if  I  was  patient,  I  would  succeed.  I  was 


154  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

soon  undeceived  about  getting  my  discharge  after  three 
months,  which  would  have  paid  for  my  advance.  I  would 
have  to  stay  the  three  years  unless  discharged  through 
disability ;  and  when  I  came  to  think  that  I  was  only 
a  few  hours'  ride  from  home,  and  yet  could  not  get 
there  and  was  likely  soon  to  sail  again  for  three  years 
without  seeing  any  of  my  friends  or  knowing  whether 
they  were  alive  or  not,  my  thoughts  made  me  very 
miserable.  Finally,  seeing  no  opportunity  to  get  away,  I 
wrote  a  letter  to  one  of  my  brothers  in  Boston  and  told 
him  where  I  was,  and  that  I  expected  to  go  to  sea  again 
soon.  I  did  not  write  to  him  before  because  I  had 
been  away  seven  years,  and  yet  in  all  that  time  could  not 
raise  money  enough  to  take  me  from  New  York  to  Bos 
ton.  It  would  not  speak  well  for  my  ability  as  a  financier, 
nor  did  I  want  to  be  beholden  to  any  one,  even  for  the 
small  amount  that  would  take  me  to  Boston.  I  wrote 
the  letter,  but  did  not  know  whether  any  of  my  relatives 
were  alive  or  not.  When  enlisting  I  had  not  given  my 
middle  name.  It  was  then  my  week  to  prepare  the  mess 
for  the  cook,  such  as  peeling  potatoes  and  getting  other 
things  ready,  carrying  them  to  the  cook,  and  setting  the 
table  for  the  men. 

The  following  day  after  the  letter  was  sent,  about 
ten  o'clock,  I  was  in  the  mess-room  peeling  potatoes 
when  I  heard  the  boatswain  sing  out  on  deck  above 
my  name  with  the  middle  letter  in  its  proper  place  as 
given  in  the  letter.  I  knew  at  once  that  some  of  my 
folks  were  on  deck  above.  I  dropped  my  potatoes  at 
once  and  ran  up.  There  was  my  brother,  whom  I  had 
left  at  the  store  in  Boston  seven  years  before.  I  knew 
him  at  a  glance.  He  recognized  me  because  he  was  ex 
pecting  to  see  me ;  but  I  think  had  he  met  me  in  the 
street  he  would  not  have  known  me.  I  had  grown  from 
a  lad  of  seventeen  to  a  man  of  twenty-four,  and  was  near 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  155 

six  feet  tall  and  had  grown  a  beard.  I  was  glad  to  learn 
that  all  of  my  folks  were  well,  father,  mother,  brothers, 
and  an  only  sister. 

Before  my  brother  left  for  home  again  he  offered  the 
lieutenant  in  charge  forty  dollars  for  my  discharge  ;  but 
the  lieutenant  said  that  the  only  way  that  he  could  get 
my  discharge  would  be  to  write  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  at  Washington.  Before  my  brother  left  I  told  him 
privately  that  he  need  not  try  to  get  my  discharge.  I 
would  take  what  sailors  call  "  French  leave."  After  my 
brother's  visit  my  mind  was  much  easier. 

About  three  days  later  a  draft  came  from  Washington 
for  three  hundred  men  to  man  a  new  frigate,  which  was 
at  Norfolk,  Va.  She  was  going  to  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar 
or  up  the  Mediterranean  to  remain  three  years.  The 
frigate's  name  was  the  "  St.  Lawrence."  I  was  one  of 
the  victims  drafted.  We  were  sent  to  Norfolk  in  two 
schoonors,  one  half  in  each,  and  were  soon  on  our  way. 
The  schooner  I  was  in,  while  beating  out  of  the  harbor 
against  a  head  wind  on  the  New  York  side,  would  run 
so  near  to  the  wharf  that,  when  she  swung  around  in 
tacking,  her  jib-boom  would  pass  over  the  wharf.  I 
thought  this  might  be  a  chance  to  watch  for  my  oppor 
tunity  and  run  out  along  the  boom  and  drop  to  the 
wharf.  When  she  swung  her  boom  over  it,  I  got  for 
ward  and  watched  the  occurrence,  which  was  repeated 
several  times.  I  thought  the  chances  were  about  ten  to 
one  against  dropping  to  the  wharf.  If  I  missed  the 
wharf  I  should  be  in  a  pickle  and  well  salted,  with  a  slim 
chance  of  finding  a  place  to  land ;  while  if  picked  up  I 
would  be  put  on  board  again,  to  be  constantly  watched, 
which  would  lessen  any  future  chance  that  might  occur, 
so  finally  let  that  idea  pass  out  of  my  mind.  We  were 
soon  headed  for  Norfolk.  On  the  way,  the  small 
pox  broke  out  on  board.  Quite  a  number  were  taken 


156  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

with  it,  so  that  when  we  arrived  at  Norfolk,  instead  of 
putting  us  on  the  receiving  ship  "  Pennsylvania,"  where 
there  were  one  thousand  men,  they  put  us  into  an  old 
hulk  under  quarantine,  not  far  from  the  hospital  on 
shore.  Every  day  one  or  more  would  be  taken  down 
with  the  disease  and  would  be  carried  ashore  to  the 
hospital.  Having  learned  by  that  time  all  of  the  first 
symptoms  of  the  disease,  I  thought  that  by  feigning  sick 
ness  I  could  get  ashore  and  might  get  away.  One 
morning  I  did  not  turn  out  of  my  hammock  with  the  rest. 
Presently  the  lieutenant  in  charge  came  along  and  said, 
"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  " 

I  told  him  that  I  had  pain  in  my  head  and  back. 

"  Man  the  boat  at  once,"  said  he,  "  and  take  this  man 
to  the  hospital." 

He  told  me  to  get  up  and  get  into  the  boat.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  he  did  not  have  to  repeat  that  order. 
I  was  only  too  ready  to  get  out  of  that  old  hulk.  After 
I  arose  my  hammock  was  taken  down  and  my  effects 
lashed  up  in  it,  and  that  soon  followed  me  into  the  boat. 
I  was  landed  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  hospital. 
While  going  up  the  gravel  walk  which  led  from  the 
landing,  one  of  the  men  wanted  to  know  how  I  felt.  I 
replied  that  I  felt  badly ;  at  the  same  time  I  could  hardly 
keep  from  indulging  in  a  good  hearty  laugh. 

I  was  marched  into  the  front  door,  and  had  hardly  got 
inside  when  along  came  one  of  the  doctors.  He  took 
my  nose  with  one  hand  and  chin  with  the  other,  and 
opened  my  mouth  as  a  jockey  would  a  horse's  mouth  to 
see  how  old  he  was.  He  looked  intoi  my  mouth,  then 
said,  "  I  don't  see  anything  the  matter  with  you." 

I  thought  to  myself,  you  have  guessed  right  the  first 
time,  doctor. 

"Take  him  up  to  the  upper  hall,"  said  he  ;  and  I  was 
marched  up  three  long  flights  of  stairs  into  a  large  hall. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  157 

My  hammock  was  put  into  a  room  at  the  end  of  the 
hall,  and  the  door  was  locked. 

It  will  be  necessary,  to  be  understood,  to  give  a  dia 
gram  of  this  upper  hall,  since  it  was  to  be  my  prison  for 
a  brief  time,  and  also  of  the  room  from  which  I  was  to 
make  my  escape  to  liberty  again. 

On  arriving  at  the  room  I  was  shown  an  iron  cot,  and 
was  told  to  occupy  it.  I  soon  got  into  my  humble  couch, 
and  was  very  sick,  apparently.  My  nurse  offered  to 
bring  me  some  broth,  and  wanted  to  know  if  I  thought  I 
could  eat  anything.  Prepared  for  that,  I  told  him  that  I 
cared  for  nothing  but  to  be  let  alone.  He  left  me  and 
went  below,  not  long  after  returning  with  a  bowl  of  nice 
broth,  which  he  set  on  the  stand,  telling  me  that  if  I  felt 
like  eating  to  do  so  when  I  desired.  He  said  he  would 
be  up  again  at  twelve,  and  retired  at  once. 

After  his  footsteps  had  died  away  in  the  distance,  I 
raised  my  head  from  under  the  coverlet  and  took  in  the 
situation.  Before  me  was  the  steaming  bowl  of  broth, 
looking  very  tempting,  but  I  dare  not  so  much  as  taste 
of  it,  lest  the  nurse  notice  it  and  report  to  the  doctors. 
It  was  my  desire  to  remain  pretty  sick  for  a  few  days, 
and  when  I  did  get  well,  to  get  out  into  the  fresh  air 
very  speedily,  without  help  from  the  doctors  or  nurses. 
The  hall  was  about  fifty  feet  long  and  twenty-five  or 
thirty  wide,  with  a  number  of  iron  cot  bedsteads  on  each 
side,  with  windows  some  ten  feet  apart  on  each  side. 
The  building  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  seventy  feet 
long  and  thirty  feet  wide.  The  upper  floor  was  partitioned 
off  twenty  feet  from  each  end,  with  a  passageway  from 
the  large  hall  running  down  to  each  end  of  the  building. 
The  part  at  the  end  of  the  hall,  thus  partitioned  off,  was 
divided  again  into  four  small  rooms,  two  on  each  side  of 
the  narrow  passageway,  and  had  doors  leading  into 
them  from  it.  There  was  one  window  in  each  room. 


158  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

The  other  end  of  the  building  was  similarly  arranged, 
and  were  called  "dead  rooms,"  where  patients  who 
had  died  were  laid  out  for  burial.  My  hammock  was 
put  into  one  of  those  little  rooms  and  locked  up. 

Apparently  I  was  pretty  sick  the  first  day,  when  any 
one  was  near.  I  learned  that  if  the  patients  on  my  floor 
were  not  very  sick,  the  doctors  only  came  at  nine  in  the 
morning  and  at  nine  at  night.  I  sipped  a  little  of  my 
broth  for  supper  and  stirred  about  a  little,  that  the  doc 
tor  might  think  I  had  suffered  a  slight  pain  at  least, 
otherwise  he  might  think  me  resting  too  quietly  for  a 
sick  man.  He  came  at  nine  and  asked  a  few  questions, 
and  of  course  I  was  feeling  badly.  I  found  he  did  not 
order  any  medicines,  for  which  I  felt  very  grateful. 

After  he  left  me  I  dropped  asleep  and  dreamt  of  the 
exploits  of  Jack  Shepard,  whose  daring  escape  from 
New  York  was  related  to  me  while  in  London.  I  kept 
my  couch  the  next  morning  until  after  nine,  after  which 
I  arose  and  began  investigations.  The  hall  contained 
two  other  victims,  by  their  appearance  about  as  sick  as 
myself.  I  went  to  a  window  and  found  the  upper  part 
was  sashes  with  glass,  while  the  lower  part  was  little 
panel  doors.  Each  quarter  panel  swung  into  the  hall, 
and  when  shut  could  not  be  opened  from  the  outside, 
as  there  was  neither  thumb-catch  nor  knob.  A  piazza 
ran  the  length  of  the  building,  and  there  were  two 
piazzas  below,  and  the  floor  of  the  lower  one  was  about 
twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  The  courtyard  enclosed 
about  one  quarter  of  an  acre  of  land.  The  wall  around  it 
was  fully  twelve  feet  high.  It  ran  under  the  end  of  the 
piazza  and  against  the  building,  then  commenced  at  the 
other  corner  and  went  on  around.  In  this  court  were 
some  tents  which  were  used  for  crazy  folks.  I  took  par 
ticular  notice  of  a  fig-tree  that  stood  near  the  wall  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  court.  I  measured  it  carefully  with 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  159 

my  eye  and  believed  that  one  could  climb  the  tree,  and 
its  limbs  would  support  him  until  he  got  high  enough  to 
reach  the  top  of  the  wall.  After  this  I  retired  to  my 
couch  to  think  over  matters  at  my  leisure.  I  concluded 
to  eat  a  little  that  day,  thinking  I  would  need  strength  to 
help  me  over  the  wall.  I  had  played  the  sick  man  so 
fine  that  I  began  to  think  perhaps  I  was  sick,  and  did  not 
know  it.  At  all  events,  I  did  not  wish  to  starve  amid 
plenty. 

After  dinner  I  again  began  investigations.  I  found 
it  would  be  necessary  to  have  a  line  of  some  kind, 
and  my  hammock  lashing  would  be  just  the  thing,  could 
I  get  it.  With  that,  the  way  was  clear.  How  was  I  to 
get  it  ?  It  was  locked  in  one  of  the  little  rooms. 

It  is  said  that  where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way,  and 
it  was  evident  I  did  not  lack  the  will.  Out  on  the  piazza 
I  crept  along  until  opposite  the  window  of  the  room  con 
taining  my  luggage.  I  could  plainly  see  my  hammock 
with  others,  but  the  doors  in  the  window  had  no  thumb- 
latch.  I  returned  to  the  door  out  of  which  I  came  on  to 
the  piazza  and  looked  the  matter  over.  I  found  that 
they  were  only  about  one  inch  thick,  and  the  latch  that 
held  them  together  was  one  of  the  old-fashioned  kind 
without  the  thumb-piece  through  the  door.  I  took  my 
pocket  knife,  measured  down  from  the  bottom  of  the 
glass  to  the  bottom  of  the  latch,  and  then  went  around 
and  along  to  the  little  room  and  measured  the  outside 
from  the  glass  down  the  required  distance,  ran  my  knife 
through  and  used  my  knife  handle  for  a  thumb-piece.  I 
raised  the  latch  and  walked  in  without  being  challenged. 
I  found  my  hammock,  stripped  off  its  lashing,  taking 
what  things  were  needed,  rolled  it  up,  and  threw  a 
bundle  over  it  to  cover  my  tracks,  should  any  one  enter 
the  room  before  my  departure.  I  returned  to  the  piazza, 
closed  the  door  behind  me  and  reached  my  cot  undis- 


I6O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

covered.  I  stowed  my  hammock  lashing  and  extra  suit 
along  with  myself  under  the  coverlet  in  less  time  than  it 
takes  to  record  it. 

When  the  nurse  came  again  I  was  so  far  convalescent 
I  could  sit  up  a  little.  He  thought  I  was  getting  along 
nicely  and  would  soon  be  out.  I  thought  there  was 
likely  to  be  more  truth  than  poetry  in  his  remarks. 

There  was  an  invalid  who  had  a  cot  not  far  from  me 
with  whom  I  became  acquainted  during  my  rational 
spells.  I  found  that  he  also  wished  to  get  away.  When 
I  found  he  was  on  the  same  sick  list  as  myself  and  af 
flicted  with  the  same  malady,  my  heart  went  out  to  him. 
I  told  him  I  had  a  plan  about  completed  whereby  we 
could  get  outside  of  the  high  wall,  if  he  wanted  to  make 
the  venture.  He  said  he  would  be  willing  to  face  any 
thing  or  any  danger  to  get  away,  and  I  unfolded  my 
plan-s  and  he  readily  joined  me.  I  told  him  how  to  get 
his  things  out  of  the  little  room,  and  that  I  was  going  to 
start  that  night.  He  went  after  his  clothing,  and  I  kept 
pretty  well  under  my  blankets,  while  he  was  picking  the 
lock  of  the  little  room.  If  he  was  caught  in  the  act  and 
I  was  found  lounging  about,  I  might  be  taken  as  an  ac 
complice,  yet  I  would  help  him  as  far  as  possible  with 
out  endangering  my  own  chances  of  escape.  He  got 
what  he  wanted  without  trouble  and  stowed  them  under 
his  quilts.  We  arranged  that  we  would  go  to  bed  that 
night  and  keep  pretty  quiet  until  the  doctor  had  been 
around  at  nine,  and  then,  after  all  was  quiet,  we  would 
steal  out.  All  he  had  to  do  was  to  follow  me,  and  I 
would  lead  him  outside  of  the  wall.  Once  outside,  he 
must  depend  on  his  own  resources.  My  course  would 
depend  on  circumstances,  for  I  had  explored  no  farther 
than  the  outside  of  the  court. 

The  night  came  and  our  regular  broth  with  it.  I  left 
nothing  on  the  plate,  but  ate  heartily  and  cleared  the 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  l6l 

plate  for  the  first  time  during  my  illness.  I  was  soon 
after  in  bed  clad  in  two  pairs  of  pants,  three  shirts,  and 
two  pairs  of  socks.  I  did  not  intend  to  go  to  sleep  ;  but 
I  did,  however,  and  when  I  awoke  it  was  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  When  the  doctor  came  and  found  me 
sleeping  so  quietly,  he  thought  he  would  not  disturb  my 
slumbers.  I  jumped  up  at  once  and  went  to  my  friend's 
cot  and  shook  him  a  little  and  told  him  that  it  was  three 
o'clock.  He  turned  over  to  whisper  that  some  one  had 
just  gone  through  the  hall,  and  we  would  be  detected. 
I  said  no  more,  but  went  to  my  bed,  took  my  hammock 
lashing  and  shoes,  went  out  to  the  corner  of  the  piazza, 
climbed  over,  and  slid  to  the  next  below,  then  down  the 
next  post,  and  so  to  the  last  floor,  where  I  tied  my  little 
rope  to  the  post,  stepped  over  and  lowered  myself  down 
to  the  yard.  I  some  expected  the  crazy  fellows  who 
were  camping  in  those  tents  would  make  a  racket,  but 
they  did  not ;  they  were  asleep.  I  went  straight  to  the 
tree.  In  the  gloom  of  the  night  I  mounted  the  frail 
limbs  until  I  could  reach  the  top  of  the  wall,  then  pulled 
myself  up,  swinging  first  my  legs  and  then  my  body  over. 
Suspended  at  arm's  length  I  let  go  noiselessly,  to  pull 
myself  together  in  a  potato  patch.  I  hurried  along  by 
the  wall  and  turned  the  corner.  A  few  rods  farther  took 
me  to  the  beach.  I  sat  down,  put  on  my  shoes,  and 
found  myself  none  the  worse  for  my  venture.  Had  any 
one  given  me  a  thousand  dollars,  I  would  have  not  felt 
better  pleased  than  I  did  while  sitting  on  that  sandy 
beach.  The  cool  morning  breeze  across  the  water 
seemed  to  be  burdened  with  freedom  ;  but  alas !  I  am 
ashamed  to  acknowledge  that  there  was  no  patriotism  in 
me  that  morning,  and  yet  I  sat  nearly  under  the  folds  of 
that  emblem  of  liberty  and  freedom,  the  star  spangled 
banner.  I  was  patriotic  enough,  but  that  flag  had  held 
me  in  durance  for  the  last  two  months,  so  near  my 


1 62  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

friends  and  home  and  yet  so  far,  and  I  could  not  have 
the  privilege  of  going  home  for  one  short  week.  If  my 
adventures  had  been  in  the  sixties  instead  of  the  forties, 
my  real  patriotism  would  have  prompted  me  to  fight 
until  all  the  rebel  rams  that  sailed  were  sunk  or  driven 
from  the  seas.  I  consoled  myself  with  the  knowledge 
that  the  country  was  at  peace  and  resting  on  its  laurels, 
having  just  finished  taming  down  Mexico.  I  had  a  de 
sire  myself  about  that  time  to  be  at  peace  with  all  man 
kind,  and  only  wanted  to  be  let  alone. 

I  do  not  speak  of  these  little  episodes  of  running 
away  from  ships  because  I  feel  proud  of  such  exploits, 
since  I  confess  I  feel  heartily  ashamed  to  relate  them  ; 
but  I  started  to  give  a  correct  and  truthful  account  of 
my  experience  during  those  seven  years  of  my  absence 
from  home,  and  my  narrative  would  be  incomplete  with 
out  them. 

From  the  start  I  was  beguiled  and  stuffed  with  stories 
of  big  fortunes  that  seldom  come  to  a  foremast  hand, 
with  only  a  chance  of  getting  one  dollar  out  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty,  and  one  whale  out  of  fifty  seen,  or 
chased,  and  a  big  bill  for  outfit  awaiting  to  be  paid  at 
home  along  with  a  sailor's  board.  When  I  realized  all 
these  things  I  thought  it  more  than  human  flesh  could 
bear.  But  all  the  ships,  barks,  and  schooners  I  had 
left  were  deserted  with  the  sole  idea  of  getting  a  step 
toward  home. 

Although  some  of  the  steps  might  seem  rather  wild 
and  far  from  the  mark,  while  others  overreached  it,  I 
found  it  necessary  to  keep  stepping,  until  finally,  after 
leaving  the  antipodes,  it  took  me  just  fifteen  months  to 
get  home.  I  do  not  approve  of  sailors  running  away  if 
they  are  treated  as  they  should  be,  but  if  badly  treated 
do  not  blame  them.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  get  into 
good  ships  with  good  officers  on  board  ;  and  as  I  was 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  163 

always  ready  and  willing  to  do  my  duty,  had  no  trouble, 
and  never  left  a  vessel  on  account  of  any  dislike  of  ship, 
officers,  or  crew. 

As  I  sat  on  the  sand  beach  I  saw  the  gray  dawn  in 
the  east,  which  reminded  me  that  I  had  no  time  to  spend 
in  reveries.  I  started  up  the  beach;  not  far  away  I 
came  to  a  small  creek  that  ran  landward  into  the  marsh. 
I  followed  it  to  come  to  a  footbridge,  which  I  passed' 
over  and  passed  on  up  the  beach.  I  soon  came  to 
another  creek,  over  which  was  another  footbridge  like 
the  first,  only  much  longer ;  it  was  about  two  hundred 
yards  across.  Crossing  this  I  came  to  the  little  town  of 
Portsmouth,  it  then  being  broad  daylight.  A  large  flock 
of  geese  sat  on  the  bank,  and  it  is  needless  for  me  to 
say  what  they  did.  It  was  a  cackling  goose  that  saved 
Rome  once  on  a  time.  Disturbed  so  suddenly  while  taking 
their  early  nap,  they  all  together  set  up  a  great  ado  at 
once.  There  was  danger  of  their  arousing  the  town.  I 
hurried  past  my  tormentors,  to  find  myself  on  the  main 
street. 

About  half-way  through  the  town  an  old  colored  man 
came  into  the  middle  of  the  street.  I  spoke  to  him 
gruffly  to  disarm  him  of  suspicion,  if  he  had  any.  A 
transport  lay  a  little  way  out  in  the  harbor  opposite  the 
town,  lately  arrived  from  Mexico,  where  I  supposed  she 
was  used  during  the  Mexican  War.  I  could  see  the  tops 
of  the  vessel's  masts. 

I  asked  the  darky  if  there  had  been  a  boat  on  shore 
that  morning.  I  told  him  I  belonged  to  that  vessel,  and 
came  ashore  the  night  before  on  "liberty." 

"No,  massa,"  said  he,  "no  boat  come  ashore  this 
morning  yet." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "  I  want  to  get  aboard  at  once." 

I  pushed  on  through  the  town.  The  street  ended  at 
a  little  jetty,  where  the  passengers  landed  from  a  small 


1 64  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

ferryboat  which  plied  between  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth. 
She  ran  from  one  side  to  the  other  about  every  ten 
minutes  from  daylight  until  late  at  night.  I  had  taken 
note  of  all  that  might  be  for  or  against  me  in  my  future 
movements  while  on  the  old  hulk.  As  I  neared  the  jetty 
I  saw  the  boat  about  half-way  over,  and  approaching.  I 
hurried  along,  knowing  it  would  stop  but  a  minute  or 
two  before  leaving  for  the  other  side. 

As  I  came  near  the  water,  some  three  or  four  rods 
from  the  street  at  my  right,  I  saw  a  beef  cart  loaded  with 
beef;  while  on  the  water  there  loomed  up  before  me, 
hardly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  shore,  one  of  the 
largest  ships  Uncle  Sam  had  built  at  that  time,  the 
"  Pennsylvania,"  used  at  that  time  as  a  receiving  ship, 
upon  which  I  would  have  been  put  had  I  remained  in 
the  hospital  a  week  or  so  longer.  The  boat  was  along 
side  and  the  sailors  were  getting  into  her.  They  were 
coming  after  the  ship's  daily  supply  of  meat.  I  hurried 
along  to  the  jetty  as  the  ferryboat  ran  up  against  it. 
She  had  but  one  wagon  on  board,  which  drove  off  at 
once,  and  I  passed  on  board  at  the  same  time.  The  boat 
pushed  off,  rapidly  leaving  the  wharf,  and  I  felt  wonder 
fully  relieved. 

There  was  but  one  more  guard  to  pass  between  my 
self  and  liberty,  that  liberty  and  freedom  that  I  had  so 
longed  for.  One  can  better  imagine  my  feelings  at  that 
time  than  I  can  describe  them.  My  heart  was  filled  with 
joy,  and  hopes  long  deferred  were  now  to  be  realized,  as 
I  felt  that  the  outer  picket  would  be  easily  passed.  The 
only  trouble  I  now  feared  was  that  some  of  the  officers 
or  men  from  the  receiving  ship  might  be  ashore  at 
Norfolk  ;  and  if  I  should  happen  to  encounter  them,  in 
man-o'-warsman's  clothing,  I  doubted  my  ability  to  make 
them  believe  what  I  might  tell  them.  I  was  much  grati 
fied  that  no  one  awaited  me.  Not  far  from  where  I 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  165 

landed  a  steamboat  lay  alongside  a  wharf.  I  boarded 
her  at  once.  I  met  the  mate  on  deck,  and  I  inquired  if 
that  boat  was  going  to  Richmond. 

He  said  she  was. 

I  then  told  him  that  I  wanted  to  go  to  Richmond,  but 
had  no  money,  but  I  would  do  any  kind  of  work  on 
board  to  pay  for  my  passage. 

He  said  that  he  could  not  make  any  bargain  of  that 
sort,  but  I  might  wait  until  the  captain  came  down. 

I  thanked  him,  and  told  him  that  I  would  do  so. 

While  waiting,  I  observed  the  engineer  at  his  engine 
getting  up  steam.  I  had  a  chat  with  him  about  getting 
to  Richmond,  and  mentioned  having  spoken  to  the  mate 
for  a  chance  to  work  my  passage,  and  that  he  had  referred 
me  to  the  captain.  I  never  cast  so  much  as  a  glance  in 
the  direction  of  the  receiving  ship.  If  danger  lurked  in 
that  direction  I  did  not  want  to  see  it,  for  fear  I  might  be 
tempted  to  jump  on  to  the  dock  and  use  my  legs.  I  was 
aware  to  do  so  would  attract  attention,  which  I  did  not 
care  to  do. 

Finally  the  captain  came  aboard,  and  walking  boldly 
up  to  him,  I  said,  "  Captain,  I  understand  that  this  boat 
is  going  to  Richmond." 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "she  is.     Do  you  want  a  passage?" 

"  Yes,  Captain,  I  do,  but  have  got  no  money  to 
pay  for  a  passage.  I  am  willing  to  work  my  passage,  if 
you  will  ta'ke  me  along." 

He  looked  me  over  a  little  to  remark,  "We  do  not 
make  a  practice  of  doing  business  that  way." 

"No,  Captain,"  said  I,  "I  did  not  suppose  that  you 
did;  but  I  am  very  anxious  to  go  to  Richmond,  and 
thought  perhaps  you  might  make  an  exception  in  my 
case,  as  I  am  a  seafaring  man." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  he.  He  turned 
and  went  into  his  cabin. 


1 66  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

I  could  see  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  as  he  so  abruptly  left 
me.  I  concluded  my  clothing  had  betrayed  me,  and  that 
he  was  possibly  afraid  that  if  I  was  found  on  his  boat 
with  his  consent,  he  would  be  held  liable  for  aiding  me 
to  escape  from  the  service. 

I  had  determined  to  be  a  passenger  on  that  boat,  with 
or  without  the  captain's  consent ;  and  it  made  but  little 
difference  whether  deck  or  cabin  passage.  It  would 
have  taken  more  than  the  captain's  eloquence  or  moral 
suasion  to  deter  me.  I  went  along  to  the  engineer. 

He  wanted  to  know  what  the  captain  had  said.  I 
told  him. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "you  go  into  that  coal  bin  below 
and  shovel  coal  up  toward  the  furnace ;  I  guess  it  will 
be  all  right." 

Down  I  went,  like  McGinty,  and  was  right  glad  to  get 
below  decks  out  of  sight,  stripped  off  my  jacket  and 
went  at  that  coal  pile  like  an  old  miner. 

I  was  not  particular  about  the  quantity  of  dust  I  got 
on  my  hands  or  face ;  the  more  the  better ;  if  any  one 
came  along  and  was  inquisitive  enough  to  look  down  the 
hatch,  he  would  think  me  one  of  the  black  coal  heavers 
or  firemen. 

I  had  been  at  work  about  half  an  hour  when  the 
engine  began  to  work.  By  the  motion  of  the  boat  I 
knew  we  were  leaving  the  wharf.  A  few  minutes  later  it 
stopped.  I  knew  by  the  stamping  on  deck  that  she  had 
run  over  to  Portsmouth  to  take  on  passengers.  I  kept 
up  a  tremendous  racket  in  the  coal  bin.  The  boat  started 
again  and  moved  down  the  river.  I  kept  at  work  about 
twenty  minutes  longer,  when,  thinking  by  the  appearance 
of  things,  that  she  was  not  going  to  land  again,  I  went 
on  deck  and  looked  toward  the  shore.  About  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  off  was  the  hospital  that  I  had  so  recently 
left ;  in  fact,  we  were  right  opposite  it,  and  around  the 
place  not  a  soul  was  stirring. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  1 67 

Musing  to  myself,  I  thought  the  early  bird  had  got 
ahead  of  them  that  time,  and  it  was  evident  enough  had 
caught  his  liberty.  I  was  beyond  the  lines  of  the  enemy, 
and  took  no  further  pains  to  conceal  myself,  but  walked 
boldly  about  the  deck. 

About  nine  o'clock  the  colored  steward  came  around, 
ringing  a  bell  and  shouting  at  the  same  time  for  all  the 
passengers  to  come  aft  to  the  captain's  office  and  settle 
their  bills.  I  watched  each  man  as  he  went  to  the  office, 
which  was  on  deck,  and  finally  saw  the  last  man  depart ; 
then  thinking  it  my  turn,  marched  boldly  aft  to  the  office 
and  presented  myself.  The  captain  looked  up  with  a 
half-smile  on  his  face,  and  I  looked  as  pleasant  as  possible 
under  the  strained  condition  of  things. 

"Ah,  you  are  here,  are  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Captain,  I  am  here  and  await  your  orders." 

"  Well,  you  have  no  money;  I  don't  suppose  that  I 
can  get  any.  Go  forward  and  do  what  you  can  to  help 
work  the  boat  up  to  Richmond." 

Thanking  him,  I  obeyed  and  went  forward. 

All  I  did  was  to  occasionally  shift  a  box  of  chains  to 
one  side  of  the  boat  or  the  other  in  order  to  trim  her 
when  she  turned  the  bend  of  the  river,  —  a  condition  of 
things  at  that  time  entirely  satisfactory.  I  was  fast  leav 
ing  my  late  friends  behind. 

All  the  passengers  went  into  the  dining-saloon  at 
noon.  The  engineer,  before  going  into  his  mess-room, 
said  he  would  see  that  I  had  some  dinner. 

The  passengers  had  returned  to  the  deck,  when  the 
mate  came  to  me  and  said,  "  Come,  go  down  into  the 
saloon  and  get  some  dinner." 

I  thanked  him  and  went  below  with  the  dignity  of  a 
commodore  and  the  gravity  of  a  clergyman.  I  found  a 
long  table,  with  all  the  delicacies  of  the  Southern  market. 
Seeing  so  much  food  left  after  the  passengers  had  dined, 


1 68  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

I  thought  perhaps  they  had  anticipated  my  advent  among 
them  and  had  made  ample  provision  for  a  hungry  unin 
vited  guest.  The  waiters  received  me  with  much  atten 
tion  ;  they  were  all  politeness,  and  appeared  to  be  try 
ing  each  to  outdo  the  other.  When  I  got  through  my 
dinner  I  left  the  cabin.  On  deck  again,  I  went  forward, 
and  soon  after  up  came  the  engineer  with  a  plate  heaped 
with  beef,  bread,  and  many  different  kinds  of  vegetables ; 
indeed  he  brought  more  food  for  my  dinner  than  I  had 
seen  during  the  entire  week  at  my  late  boarding-house 
at  Portsmouth. 

"  Why,"  said  I,  "  who  is  all  that  food  for?  " 

"  For  you,"  said  he;  "  sit  down  now  and  pitch  right 
in.  Don't  be  bashful,  if  you  do  you  will  get  left." 

I  thought  to  myself  that  it  would  be  a  cold  day  when  I 
got  left. 

"  Well,  man,"  said  I,  "I  have  dined  in  the  saloon 
with  the  captain." 

"Is  that  so?" 

"Yes,  I  have  just  returned  from  there." 

"  Well,  if  you  want  more,  here  it  is  in  plenty." 

"  Yes,  I  see ;  but  I  thank  you,  I  have  had  a  plenty  for 
one  meal." 

He  took  the  food  down-stairs  with  a  disappointed  Icok 
on  his  face. 

I  found  the  people  in  the  South  and  Southern  people 
generally  very  liberal  and  courteous  in  the  manner  in 
which  they  entertain  their  friends  or  guests,  and  it  is  all 
done  in  a  very  modest  and  unassuming  manner,  which 
affords  much  freedom  and  confidence  of  action.  Under 
such  conditions,  strangers  meeting  for  the  first  time  soon 
become  fast  friends. 

We  went  up  the  river  and  arrived  in  due  time  at  our 
journey's  end,  and  hauled  in  alongside  of  the  wharf.  I 
have  forgotten  the  name  of  the  place,  at  that  time,  1848, 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  169 

a  very  small  hamlet,  located  about  three  miles  below 
Richmond.  That  place  was  as  near  as  vessels  could  get 
to  the  city.  All  freight  from  Richmond  down  the  river 
James  was  taken  there  in  barges  and  then  shipped 
on  seagoing  craft.  Getting  ashore  very  soon  after  the 
steamer  was  made  fast,  I  noticed  a  schooner  not  far  from 
where  we  landed,  taking  in  flour  and  tobacco  from  a 
barge  alongside.  On  her  stern  was  her  name,  "  The  Rain 
bow,"  of  Boston.  She  was  just  the  boat  I  was  looking 
for,  and  my  arrival  was  most  opportune.  I  went  on 
board  of  her  at  once,  and  met  the  captain  on  deck. 
Without  hesitating  a  moment  or  betraying  any  sign  of 
weakness,  knowing  I  was  a  long  way  from  Norfolk  and 
the  old  hulk,  I  addressed  him,  saying,  "  This  is  the  cap 
tain,  I  believe." 

"  Yes." 

"  I  see  by  the  name  of  this  craft  that  she  belongs  in 
Boston." 

"  Yes,  she  does." 

I  informed  him  that  I  belonged  in  Boston  and  had 
been  absent  a  number  of  years,  and  wanted  to  get  back 
home  again,  but  having  no  money  would  like  to  work 
my  passage.  I  would  help  load  and  unload,  also  to  work 
the  vessel  during  the  trip. 

"  Well,  all  right,  I  will  take  you  along.'' 

Accordingly  I  went  to  work,  and  we  finished  loading 
the  next  day,  and  were  soon  towed  down  and  out  of  the 
river.  It  was,  however,  nearly  two  weeks  before  we  got 
out  to  sea  on  account  of  head  winds,  but  we  finally  got 
out  and  were  two  weeks  more  getting  to  Boston. 

On  the  way,  I  told  the  mate  the  story  of  my  leaving  the 
navy,  believing  as  a  brother  sailor  he  would  not  expose 
me.  We  hauled  in  alongside  of  Long  Wharf,  Boston, 
about  four  in  the  afternoon.  I  was  ashore  again  in  Bos 
ton,  and  on  the  same  wharf  I  had  left  seven  years  before 


170  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

nearly  to  a  day,  but  without  that  three  or  four  hundred 
dollars  that  Mr.  Drake  said  I  would  bring  home  with  me. 
I  found  myself  in  the  same  condition  financially  as  when 
I  had  left  Boston. 

After  a  tramp  of  seven  years,  searching  for  a  fortune 
which  had  not  materialized,  I  recalled  a  remark  I  heard  a 
Chinaman  make,  in  Australia,  who  had  lost  his  last  shil 
ling  at  fan-tan,  "  Gone,  just  like  woodbine  climbs." 

I  was  in  Boston  again,  which  was  some  consolation. 
I  looked  around  somewhat,  thinking  I  might  recognize 
some  of  my  old  creditors  in  the  crowd  that  gathered 
around,  but  I  failed  to  notice  any  faces  I  had  seen  before. 
It  was  too  late  in  the  day  to  take  out  any  of  the  cargo, 
so  I  told  the  captain  that  I  would  return  in  the  morning, 
and  started  out  to  find  my  uncle,  and  succeeded  without 
much  difficulty.  The  locality  outwardly  had  not  changed 
during  my  absence,  neither  had  it  faded  from  my 
memory. 

I  found  my  uncle's  home  with  the  name  on  the  door, 
and  rang  the  bell.  He  came  to  the  door,  but  did  not 
recognize  me  until  I  made  myself  known  to  him. 

I  was  soon  in  the  midst  of  his  family,  for  he  had 
married  after  I  left  the  country,  and  had  a  lively  young 
family  growing  up  around  him.  I  remained  that  night, 
and  the  next  morning  went  with  my  uncle  to  see  one  of 
by  brothers,  a  teamster,  who  kept  a  stand  for  his  teams 
not  far  from  the  house. 

After  a  few  minutes  with  him,  I  went  to  the  wharf  to 
help  unload,  as  agreed.  All  that  day  I  worked  hard,  and 
at  night  my  brother  came  down  and  took  me  on  his  team 
home  with  him  to  Charlestown.  The  next  morning 
I  went  again  to  the  wharf  to  work  discharging  the 
schooner.  About  four  in  the  afternoon  the  cargo  was 
out  of  the  hold,  but  two  or  three  boxes  of  tobacco,  when 
along  came  a  load  of  freight  to  be  taken  in.  The  cap- 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  I'Jl 

tain  stopped  hoisting  out  tobacco,  and  began  to  get  ready 
to  take  in  the  load  of  freight.  Believing  I  had  fulfilled 
my  agreement,  I  stopped  work  and  went  on  to  the  dock. 

"Where  are  you  going?  "  said  the  captain. 

"I  am  going  home,"  I  replied. 

"You  come  back  here  and  help  me  take  this  freight 
in." 

"  No,  I  did  not  agree  to  help  load  here.  I  will  help 
you  take  the  tobacco  out,  but  nothing  further." 

"  I  shall  not  do  that  until  that  freight  is  taken  in." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "if  that  is  the  case,  you  can  go 
straight  to  h — 1,"  and  started  up  the  wharf. 

He  sang  out  as  I  was  leaving,  "  You  runaway  from 
a  man-o'-war,  I  will  have  you  arrested ;  I  can  get  ten 
dollars  for  the  job." 

I  was  very  soon  out  of  sight  of  him  and  his  schooner, 
nor  did  I  ever  see  or  hear  of  him  after.  The  mate  had 
told  him  my  story.  He  was  one  of  the  kind  of  men 
who  was  not  contented  with  all  I  had  to  give,  but 
wanted  a  little  more.  It  is  that  class  of  captains  that 
make  sailors  run  away.  They  get  all  the  work  out  of 
the  men  they  can,  then  abuse  them  because  they  cannot 
get  more.  Generally,  when  sailors  find  out  these  kind- 
hearted  fellows,  they  keep  clear  of  them  unless  they  are 
compelled  to  ship.  In  the  navy  every  man  knows  what 
he  has  to  do ;  it  is  true,  however,  that  there  is  a  deal  to 
do  to  keep  the  ship  clean  and  in  good  condition,  but 
there  are  plenty  to  do  it,  which  makes  it  easy  work  when 
compared  to  the  duties  of  sailors  on  merchantmen,  where 
there  are  barely  men  enough  to  handle  the  large  ships. 

Into  the  "  service  "  is  where  I  would  advise  all  young 
men  to  go  who  desire  to  go  to  sea.  There  one  is  sure 
to  get  his  pay,  with  plenty  of  good  food  and  good  treat 
ment.  I  have  seen  salts  who  had  grown  gray  on  the 
sea  who  had  got  to  believe  they  owned  the  ship  they 


172  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

were  in,  and  would  cling  to  their  berths  until  the  third 
and  fourth  call  before  they  would  turn  out.  I  have  no 
sympathy  for  such,  always  considering  that  when  sailors 
ship  and  go  to  sea  every  man  on  board  is  part  and  parcel 
of  that  ship,  as  much  so  as  the  masts,  spars,  ropes,  etc., 
and  the  success  of  the  voyage  and  the  safety  of  the  ship 
and  crew  are  dependent  on  each  one.  All  hands  are  fre 
quently  called  when  the  ship  may  be  in  danger,  and  per 
haps  the  man  who  never  hurried  to  get  on  deck  until 
after  a  number  of  calls  might  have  been  the  one,  had  he 
been  more  lively,  who  would  have  saved  the  ship  or  some 
of.  her  spars.  Knowing  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  I  was 
always  at  my  post  when  duty  called.  How  little  sailors 
realize  when  they  go  out  to  sea  in  a  ship  that  they  take 
their  lives  into  their  own  hands,  and  that  the  welfare  of 
all  hands  and  the  life  of  the  ship  are  in  their  keeping !  It 
has  been  said  that  a  sailor's  life  is  a  dog's  life.  I  deny 
the  assertion,  for  I  have  spent  some  of  the  happiest  days 
of  my  life  while  in  mid-ocean  with  the  seas  rolling  moun 
tains  high  in  all  directions,  and  again  when  the  heavens 
were  overcast  with  murky  clouds  from  whose  blackness 
shot  forth  a  thousand  thunderbolts  at  one  discharge. 
At  such  times  the  vessel  would  be  illuminated  as  with  a 
torch  at  the  top  of  every  spar  and  mast,  seemingly  to 
add  a  last  touch  to  this  terrible  yet  sublime  scene. 
While  the  ocean  would  seem  to  battle  with  heaven's 
artillery,  amid  the  confusion  and  war  of  the  elements  I 
was  happy  and  contented.  Nevertheless,  a  sailor's  life  is 
not  all  a  dream  of  paradise,  having  walks  strewn  with 
roses.  The  sailor  is  sorely  tried  when  on  the  coast  in 
winter,  while  in  a  rigorous  climate  there  is  less  danger 
and  less  work  in  mid-ocean  than  near  land. 

As  I  have  found  it  on  the  sea,  a  sailor  is  like  a  rat 
in  a  trap,  while  the  officers  are  standing  outside  with  a 
red-hot  poker  in  each  hand.  If  the  rat  behaves  himself 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  173 

and  don't  squeal,  he  is  unmolested  ;  if  he  squeals,  he  is 
all  wrong,  and  will  soon  find  himself  very  much  tangled 
up  with  a  rope's  end.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  there 
are  thorns  as  well  as  roses  in  the  path  of  the  sailor ;  if  it 
were  not  so,  the  voyage  would  be  too  monotonous  for 
human  beings  to  endure. 

Home  again,  safe  and  sound,  without  money,  but  in 
good  health,  and  knowing  more  than  when  leaving. 
With  no  small  opinion  of  myself,  my  head  would,  I  think, 
fill  the  plug  hat  that  I  wore  when  starting  out.  I  have 
seen  many  foreign  lands,  and  also  many  big  fishes  in  the 
ocean,  and  a  few  little  sharks  of  the  deep,  but  my  expe 
rience  with  men  leads  me  to  believe  the  man  who  wrote 
that  a  whale  swallowed  Jonah  made  a  mistake,  and  it 
should  have  said  that  Jonah  swallowed  the  whale ; 
for  I  have  seen  some  men  whom  I  think  could  not  only 
swallow  a  whale,  but  a  good  portion  of  the  ocean  there 
after  to  wash  his  whaleship  down. 


174  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 


CHAPTER  VI. 

STARTS  FROM  BOSTON  FOR  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  CALIFORNIA 

ONE    DOLLAR    A    MONTH    AND    FOUND SAVES    THE    SHIP 

FROM    THE    BREAKERS FRISCO     IN  THE    EARLY    DAYS  OF 

'49 BECOMES     A     GOLD     HUNTER ILL  LUCK     IN    FRE 
QUENTLY    JUST    MISSING     GREAT     FINDS QUESTIONABLE 

METHODS  OF  PROFIT  MAKING  BY  EARLY  TRADERS MEET 
ING  WITH  OLD  ACQUAINTANCES     IN     THE    GOLD  FIELDS 

LARGE  TREES STRIKING  IT  RICH DEALING  OUT  CARDS 

FOR  OWNERSHIP  OF  A  MINE. 

ON  the  twelfth  day  of  January,  1849,  I  went  aboard 
the  old  brig  "Atilla,"  of  Boston,  which  lay  alongside 
Long  Wharf.  She  had  been  bought  by  a  party  of  men 
who  wanted  to  go  to  California  at  the  time  the  excite 
ment  raged  in  Boston,  to  go  to  the  wonderful  gold  fields 
of  that  far-off  western  country. 

So  many  wanted  to  ship  as  sailors  to  go  to  California, 
in  order  to  get  there  without  paying  the  large  sum 
charged  for  passage  around  Cape  Horn  or  across  the 
isthmus,  that  we  had  to  work  for  nothing,  so  to  speak. 
We  were  paid  one  dollar  a  month.  The  sailors  had  to 
be  paid  something  in  order  to  evade  the  law,  and  I  was 
booked  for  a  voyage  of  six  months. 

We  soon  pulled  out  into  the  srream.  When  the  last 
boat  pushed  alongside,  who  should  appear  in  it  but  my 
old  friend  and  shipmate,  Rufus  Holmes,  from  Duxbury, 
the  mate  of  the  whaleship  I  first  went  to  sea  in  !  I  had 
not  seen  him  since  running  away  from  that  bark  at 
Geograph  Bay  in  Australia.  He  was  one  of  the  owners 
of  the  "  Atilla,"  and  was  going  to  California.  There 
were  over  a  hundred  souls  on  board.  We  soon  weighed 


SEVENTEEN -YEAR-OLD    LAD.  1/5 

anchor  and  pushed  out  to  sea.  We  had  bad  weather 
until  we  got  off  the  coast  and  into  a  warmer  climate. 
The  brig  was  commanded  by  a  man  named  Baker,  who 
had  been  running  on  some  of  the  packets  across  the  At 
lantic.  It  was  said  he  had  killed  two  or  three  men  be 
fore  taking  command  of  this  brig.  We  soon  crossed  the 
line  and  were  in  a  cooler  climate  again.  We  thought 
some  of  going  through  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  but  the 
night  before  we  reached  the  straits  the  captain  said  he 
dreamed  a  dream  which  caused  him  to  change  his  mind. 
We  could  see  the  land,  but  after  that  dream,  the  captain 
bore  off  and  ran  for  the  Cape.  We  soon  rounded  a  bluff 
that  makes  out  from  the  Cape,  and  before  we  had  got 
fairly  around,  a  head  wind  struck  us  and  we  were  driven 
off  our  course  to  the  south  full  sixty  degrees.  After 
some  two  or  three  weeks,  we  got  around  the  Cape.  We 
had  bad  weather  until  we  got  into  thirty  or  forty  degrees 
south  latitude,  where  we  had  some  pretty  good  and 
some  very  warm  weather,  especially  as  we  neared  the 
line 

It  is  strange  but  true,  however,  that  it  is  several  de 
grees  warmer  at  from  six  to  eight  degrees  from  the 
line  than  it  is  on  the  line,  or  equator.  We  found 
the  temperature  on  the  line  to  be  one  hundred  degrees, 
while  ten  degrees  north  it  registered  one  hundred  and 
ten  degrees. 

We  stopped  a  few  hours  at  the  Galapagos  Islands, 
which  are  located  on  and  near  the  equator,  and  caught 
many  good  fish  near  the  islands.  We  killed  several 
sea  lions  on  land.  To  see  those  animals  on  shore  from 
the  ships,  they  looked  like  tall  nude  savages  or  black 
men,  climbing  up  from  the  water  over  the  rough  broken 
shore.  In  travelling  they  appear  to  raise  their  fore 
parts  so  that  they  will  stand  some  five  or  six  feet  high, 
standing  on  their  hinder  parts  and  their  flippers,  then 


176  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

sway  sideways,  and  at  the  same  time  throw  forward  one 
flipper,  and  then  sway  the  other  way  and  put  the  other 
flipper  forward.  They  make  a  very  canny  appearance 
when  travelling,  while  they  get  over  the  ground  quite 
rapidly 

The  Galapagos  Islands  were  the  first  land  sighted  after 
leaving  Cape  Horn.  We  got  on  as  fast  as  the  wind 
would  permit.  As  we  neared  the  coast  of  California  it 
became  very  foggy  ;  the  captain  had  not  been  able  to 
get  the  sun,  therefore  did  not  know  how  near  the  coast 
he  was.  One  afternoon  about  four  o'clock,  when  all 
hands  except  the  man  at  the  wheel  were  below  to  get 
supper,  having  finished  my  supper  a  little  ahead  of  the 
others  I  went  on  deck,  and  went  forward  and  looked 
over  ahead  of  the  vessel  and  over  the  water.  I  saw 
long  streams  of  kelp  ;  I  knew  at  the  first  glance  that  it 
was  a  kind  of  kelp  that  grew  from  the  bottom  to  the 
surface  and  trails  ma,ny  yards  along  on  the  water  with  the 
tides  and  currents.  Farther  ahead,  not  more  than  two 
or  three  hundred  yards,  the  breakers  were  rolling  up, 
scattering  the  white  foam  in  all  directions.  I  ran  aft  to 
the  companionway  which  led  to  the  cabin  and  sang  out, 
"  Breakers  ahead  !  " 

All  hands  were  on  deck  in  a  trice,  and  also  many  of 
the  passengers. 

The  captain  sang  out  to  the  man  at  the  wheel,  "  Hard 
up !  hard  up ! "  and  "  Wear  ship !  " 

To  "wear  ship,"  as  it  is  called,  is  to  put  the  wheel  up 
toward  the  side  of  the  ship  the  wind  comes  from.  The 
ship  will  pay  off,  while  the  yards  are  pulled  in,  so  that 
the  sails  are  kept  full  of  wind  until  the  vessel  gets  around 
to  the  other  tack. 

The  captain  thought  to  get  her  around  far  enough  so 
that  he  could  sail  back  on  the  track  he  had  come  over. 
We  got  around  and  started  on  the  back  track.  We  had 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD. 


177 


178  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

just  started  back,  when  the  fog  lifted,  and  hardly  one 
hundred  yards' away  was  a  rock  elevated  above  the  water, 
and  quite  as  large  as  a  good-sized  house 

We  had  to  pull  as  close  to  the  wind  as  possible  to 
clear  the  rocks  ahead.  We  had  just  cleared  them,  hidden 
by  the  fog,  on  our  way  in.  Behind  us  was  a  bluff  of  land 
reaching  high  up  and  almost  hanging  over  us,  while  be 
tween  us  and  the  land,  not  half  a  mile  off,  was  a  mass 
of  breakers  and  foaming  waters.  Had  the  alarm  been 
delayed  a  moment,  we  would  have  been  inevitably 
wrecked.  It  was  on  the  6th  of  July,  1848,  that  I  saved 
a  ship  in  the  fog  on  the  coast  of  New  York,  and  this 
was  the  6th  of  July,  1849,  that  I  saved  the  brig  and  all 
on  board. 

The  captain,  after  looking  over  his  charts,  found  that 
we  were  opposite  Monterey,  about  forty  miles  below  San 
Francisco.  We  ran  along  under  easy  sail  that  night, 
and  the  next  day  ran  into  the  harbor,  and  anchored  in 
front  of  the  canvas  town  of  San  Francisco. 

We  made  the  trip  in  six  months,  less  six  days.  The 
"  Edward  Everett  "  sailed  from  Lewis  Wharf  the  I3th  of 
January,  1849,  and  she  dropped  her  anchor  alongside  us, 
one  half  hour  later,  on  the  6th  of  July,  1849.  The  harbor 
was  filled  with  vessels  at  that  early  date  of  the  discovery  of 
gold.  Each  was  black  with  men  ;  they  would  all  cheer 
when  a  new  arrival  passed  in  and  dropped  anchor.  I 
soon  got  ashore.  Mexican  gold  and  silver  appeared  to 
be  scattered  everywhere  awaiting  to  be  picked  up  by 
any  one  who  might  happen  to  come  along.  Mexicans, 
with  blankets  spread  out  on  the  street  or  anywhere,  had 
piles  of  gold  and  silver  stacked  high,  while  they,  half 
naked,  were  sitting  beside  their  coin  with  a  pack  of 
monte  cards  in  their  hands,  making  overtures  for  bets 
as  people  passed  along. 

Farther  up  among  the  tents,  through  the  open  end  of 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  179 

the  large  tents,  a  large  space  inside  was  filled  with  a 
mixed  lot  of  humanity,  as  thick  as  they  could  stand.  In 
the  centre  of  this  crowd  was  a  table,  made  by  driving 
into  the  ground  four  short  posts  with  rough  boards  nailed 
on  the  top.  Over  that  was  thrown  a  blanket  or  cloth  of 
some  kind.  A  man  sat  on  each  side,  and  between,  on  the 
table,  would  be  piled  thousands  of  dollars  in  gold  and 
silver  ;  also  many  buckskin  bags  of  different  sizes  and 
shapes  filled  with  gold  dust.  The  favorite  game  played 
at  that  time  was  a  Mexican  game  called  "  monte." 

The  regular  monte  cards  are  marked  differently  from 
the  English  ones.  They  throw  out  all  spot  cards  over 
the  seven  spot,  thus  the  pack  will  contain  only  forty 
instead  of  fifty-two.  They  shuffle  the  cards,  then  some 
one  cuts  them,  the  dealer  drawing  two  cards  from  the 
bottom  and  laying  them  on  the  table  some  two  feet  apart, 
one  at  his  right  and  the  other  at  his  left,  and  calls  for 
bets  on  those  two  cards,  —  that  one  particular  card  of 
those  will  appear  first  when  the  cards  are  turned  face  up 
and  drawn  slowly  off.  When  the  bet  is  made,  he  pulls 
out  two  more  cards  and  places  them  right  and  left  about 
twelve  inches  from  the  others,  to  wait  until  some  one 
has  bet  on  those  cards.  He  turns  up  the  cards  and 
begins  to  draw.  Of  course  the  card  that  comes  first 
which  is  like  those  laid  out  wins.  That  card  is  covered 
over  by  some  card  that  may  have  been  drawn,  or  another 
one  is  drawn  from  the  deck  ;  the  bets  are  made  again. 
Sometimes  a  card  will  lay  on  the  table  through  the  deal 
without  winning,  since  every  card  placed  against  it  would 
come  first.  It  is  a  very  fascinating  game,  and  one  by 
which  a  fortune  can  be  won  or  lost.  It  was  common  for 
big  gamblers  to  put  down  at  one  time  as  high  as  ten, 
twenty,  and  sometimes  fifty  and  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  which  will  be  won  or  lost  on  the  turn  of  the 
cards.  If  the  winning  card  happens  to  be  the  first  card 


ISO  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

in  sight  when  the  pack  is  turned  up,  whoever  has  the  bet 
on  that  card  is  only  paid  one  half  unless  he  cuts  the 
cards,  when  he  gets  paid  in  full. 

There  was  but  one  framed  house  when  I  arrived  in 
Frisco.  That  was  called  the  Parker  House.  I  believe 
this  Parker  was  the  same  man  who  run  the  Boston  Par 
ker  House  at  one  time.  I  saw  a  pile  of  gold  dust  on  the 
counter  of  its  bar  that  would  fill  a  half-bushel  measure. 
Men,  as  they  landed  on  the  beach,  just  from  the  mines, 
carried  bags  of  gold  dust  so  heavy  that  two  had  to  carry 
it  on  a  pole  between  them.  It  was  said  that  the  Parker 
House  was  let  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  a  month, 
and  that  small  tents  were  let  for  five  thousand  a  month. 
Board  was  twenty-four  dollars  a  week,  and  wages  for 
any  kind  of  a  mechanic  were  twenty-five  dollars  a  day. 
A  man  might  board  himself  easily  for  three  or  four  dol 
lars  a  week.  There  was  plenty  to  eat,  but  the  cost  was 
in  preparing  it.  Anything  in  the  shape  of  a  man  could 
get  three  hundred  dollars  a  month  and  found.  Every 
one  appeared  to  be  rich  and  happy,  and  did  not  appear 
to  care  what  their  fortune  might  be  to-morrow. 

A  captain,  whose  crew  had  left  him  for  the  mines,  came 
ashore  one  day  for  some  one  to  go  on  board  and  cook 
for  him.  He  saw  a  colored  man  who  appeared  to  be 
loafing.  The  captain  approached  him  and  said,  "  My 
man,  I  want  a  cook  to  go  aboard  of  that  ship,"  —  pointing 
to  the  ship,  —  "  and  cook  for  me.  I  will  be  the  only  one 
beside  yourself  to  cook  for,  so  you  see  the  work  will  not 
be  much,  and  I  will  give  you  three  hundred  dollars  a 
month." 

The  old  darky  looked  at  the  captain  with  a  broad  grin 
on  his  face,  "  Why,  Captain,  if  you  will  come  ashore  and 
cook  for  me,  I  will  give  you  three  hundred  dollars  a 
month." 

Just    so    independent  was   everybody.     Another  case 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  l8l 

was  of  an  officer  who  had  come  ashore.  He  wanted  a 
man  near  where  he  landed  to  carry  his  trunk  to  a  tent 
not  more  than  five  or  six  rods.  He  offered  the  man  an 
ounce  of  gold  if  he  would  carry  the  trunk. 

The  man  said  to  the  officer,  "  I  will  give  you  an  ounce 
if  you  will  shoulder  your  own  trunk  and  carry  it  where 
you  want  it." 

The  officer  picked  up  the  trunk  and  was  paid  the  ounce 
for  it. 

There  was  a  man-o'-war  laying  in  the  harbor  at  that 
time.  I  think  it  was  the  "  Ohio."  I  have  forgotten  the 
commodore  who,  it  was  said,  used  the  government 
money  that  was  on  board  to  buy  gold  dust  at  eight  dol 
lars  an  ounce  and  ran  down  to  some  Mexican  port  and 
sold  it  for  sixteen  dollars  an  ounce.  In  that  way  he 
made  a  fortune  speculating  with  Uncle  Sam's  money. 

I  have  no  doubt  but  it  was  true,  as  large  amounts  of 
gold  were  sold  at  that  time  for  eight  dollars  an  ounce, 
when  its  true  value  was  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  dollars 
an  ounce.  At  the  same  time  when  it  was  said  the  com 
modore  was  speculating  with  the  ship's  money,  two 
sailors  were  rowing  a  middy  ashore  one  night.  They 
found  everybody  was  getting  rich,  while  they,  the  poor 
sailors,  were  not  allowed  ashore  for  fear  they  would  run 
away.  The  paltry  pay  they  were  getting,  probably  not 
over  twelve  dollars  a  month,  looked  small  indeed  com 
pared  with  what  was  being  paid  in  other  vessels  sailing 
out  of  port,  which  was  three  hundred  dollars  a  month. 
On  their  way  ashore  they  threw  the  middy  overboard  and 
tried  to  escape,  but  were  recaptured  and  hung  at  the  yard- 
arm  like  dogs. 

It  was  said  that  the  site  of  the  city  of  San  Francisco 
could  have  been  bought  the  year  before  gold  was  dis 
covered  for  a  bottle  of  rum.  Commodore  Stockton,  as 
he  was  called,  got  hold  of  about  all  the  land  in  that  local- 


1 82  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

ity.  He  also  got  control  of  a  large  tract  of  land  where 
Stockton  now  stands.  Many  others  got  control  of  large 
tracts  of  land,  —  land  that  is  now  worth  many  thousands  of 
dollars. 

John  C.  Fremont  came  pretty  near  getting  a  large 
lot  of  land  in  the  mineral  district,  it  was  said,  by  shifting 
his  boundaries.  I  think  the  rumor  was  true,  as  I  have 
seen  the  man  who  shifted  the  stakes  in  Mariposa  County. 

Many  a  California  millionnaire  got  his  start  in  that  way. 
I  know  of  many  who  were  but  miners  when  they  began, 
who  were  not  satisfied  with  their  share  in  the  claim,  but 
got  a  large  part  of  their  partners'  share.  When  in  a  rich 
claim,  they  would  tell  their  partners  to  go  to  camp  and 
cook  dinner,  and  they  would  remain  and  clear  away  the 
dirt  so  that  they  would  have  a  good  chance  to  take  out  a 
lot  of  gold  in  the  afternoon.  Just  as  soon  as  the  partner 
was  out  of  sight,  the  fellow  left  behind  would  rob  the 
claim  of  all  of  the  rich  spots  that  he  could  find.  Many  a 
poor  honest  fellow  has  been  robbed  in  that  way  by  un 
principled  scoundrels,  who  only  needed  the  bristles  to 
make  them  into  hogs. 

About  all  the  sailing  craft  that  came  to  San  Francisco 
at  that  time  were  owned  by  those  who  came  there  in 
them.  The  craft  were  sold  for  what  they  would  bring, 
which  was  not  much.  The  "  Edward  Everett,"  which 
cost  forty  thousand  dollars  in  Boston,  was  sold  to  the 
captain  for  thirteen  thousand.  The  old  brig  I  went  out 
in  cost  five  thousand  dollars,  and  sold  for  five  hun 
dred.  These  two  were  fair  samples  of  the  sales.  It  cost 
about  thirty  dollars  to  get  to  Stockton  or  Sacramento,  so 
our  captain  and  the  owners  found  it  cheaper  to  pay  a 
pilot  five  hundred  dollars  to  take  the  brig  to  Stockton. 
In  this  manner  we  got  to  Stockton  for  five  hundred  dol 
lars,  when  to  have  paid  on  any  other  conveyance  it  would 
have  cost  two  thousand  dollars.  The  brig  was  then  sold 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  183 

at  Stockton  for  five  hundred  dollars.  At  that  place  I 
was  paid  off  with  six  dollars,  but  I  did  not  mind  that,  as  I 
was  within  seventy  miles  of  El  Dorado,  and  the  balance 
of  the  way  could  be  walked  in  a  very  short  time.  At 
Stockton  there  was  one  log-cabin  and  about  a  dozen 
tents.  The  day  after  my  arrival  I  started  with  two  ship 
mates  for  the  mines,  going  by  the  way  of  McKnight's 
Ferry  on  the  Stanislaus  River. 

After  two  days'  hard  travelling  over  the  hot  sand  with 
but  little  water,  hardly  enough  for  one  swallow,  we 
reached  the  river,  I  being  about  as  near  choked  as  I  ever 
was.  I  quickly  made  for  the  water,  laid  myself  down  and 
quenched  my  thirst.  We  camped  at  the  river  that  night. 
Lieut.  U.  S.  Grant  was  stationed  in  that  locality  at 
that  time,  where  it  was  said  that  he  had  a  squaw  for 
cook,  which  was  much  cheaper  than  paying  three  hun 
dred  dollars  to  men  cooks  as  at  Frisco. 

The  next  morning  we  pushed  on  to  soon  reach  what 
was  called  "  Wood's  Diggings."  The  day  after  we  arrived 
I  got  an  old  pan  and  pick.  I  did  not  have  money  enough 
to  buy  anything  decent  in  the  shape  of  tools,  and  a  good 
new  pick  was  worth  ten  dollars;  a  crowbar  three  feet 
long  sold  for  ten  dollars  ;  while  a  tin  pan  in  which  to 
wash  out  the  dirt,  which  was  about  the  same  as  an  old- 
fashioned  country  milk  pan,  sold  for  twelve  dollars. 

It  will  be  seen  that  after  travelling  seventy  miles  on 
my  six  dollars,  there  was  not  much  left  to  pay  for  tools. 
I  began  picking  around  and  found  a  little  gold,  but  not 
much,  being  a  novice  at  the  business,  and  after  working 
a  day  or  two  began  to  get  discouraged.  A  man  who 
knew  something  about  mining  came  along  and  told  me  I 
was  throwing  all  the  gold  away.  He  picked  up  a  clod  of 
clay  and  broke  it  apart.  Sure  enough  there-  was  the 
gold  sticking  in  the  clay  which  I  had  thrown  away.  I 
worked  at  that  place  about  a  week  and  made  perhaps  ten 
dollars. 


184  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

Hearing  that  on  the  Mokalunme  River,  which  was  some 
twenty  miles  north,  miners  were  making  two  and  three 
hundred  dollars  a  day,  I  started  for  that  place  and 
in  two  days  arrived  there.  What  I  had  heard  was  true, 
men  were  making  all  the  way  from  one  to  five  hundred 
dollars  a  day,  but  all  of  the  good  claims  were  taken  up. 
However,  I  picked  around  until  I  got  enough  to  get  me 
an  outfit  of  tools.  One  day  I  went  on  to  a  bar  where  I 
thought  no  one  else  had  any  stakes  and  took  out  one  pan 
of  dirt.  While  washing  it  out  a  man  came  along  and 
after  he  saw  what  I  had  got,  said  that  he  and  others  claimed 
the  bar,  so  was  obliged  to  leave.  I  have  my  doubts 
whether  he  did  or  did  not  claim  the  bar  until  after  he 
saw  in  my  pan  nearly  twenty  dollars  of  nice  river  gold 
about  the  size  of  wheat  kernels,  but  I  left  at  once. 

The  next  day  a  man  came  in  with  a  pack  train  of  goods 
which  he  dumped  down  in  a  pile.  He  wanted  me  to 
build  a  rough  shed  over  them.  I  consented  to  do  it  for 
sixty-four  dollars,  and  he  ordered  me  to  go  ahead. 
Hunting  up  a  Scotch  boy  I  knew,  we  built  it  in  half  a 
day.  It  was  little  else  than  a  sunshade. 

I  went  down  the  river  one  day  about  a  mile,  to  a  place 
where  the  banks  were  so  steep  and  ragged  one  could  not 
get  farther  down  the  stream  without  going  around  some 
distance.  I  found  a  long,  narrow  place  in  the  river,  and 
the  banks  were  quite  rich.  To  run  a  shovel  into  the 
water  and  dig  up  a  shovelful  of  sand,  then  run  the 
shovel  through  the  water,  the  water  would  wash  back  the 
sand  and  leave  a  yellow  rim  of  gold  around  the  entire 
width  of  the  shovel.  At  that  particular  point  there  was 
no  chance  to  turn  the  river,  so  could  only  content  myself 
with  the  knowledge  that  it  was  there  and  in  plenty,  and 
that  was  all  the  good  it  did  me. 

A  stony  gulch  emptied  into  the  river  at  that  place,  the 
bed  of  which  was  a  ledge.  A  rod  or  two  back  a  tree  had 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  185 

blown  down  and  completely  filled  the  gulch  with  brush. 
No  one  thought  it  worth  while  to  try  to  get  through  the 
brush,  as  it  appeared  that  there  was  no  dirt  in  the  gulch 
to  hold  gold,  if  any  had  ever  been  there  ;  but  I  found  by 
getting  down  on  my  hands  and  knees  I  could  crawl 
under  the  limbs.  By  that  means  I  soon  got  above  the 
tree.  I  found  a  little  dirt  in  the  crevices  in  the  bed  of 
the  gulch,  and  dug  out  about  two  quarts  and  went  up 
the  gulch  about  a  rod  to  a  little  spring  of  water  and 
washed  out  my  dirt,  finding  about  seven  dollars  in  gold. 
I  picked  up  a  little  nugget  by  the  spring,  yet,  strange  as 
it  may  seem,  I  did  not  sink  a  hole  in  the  gulch.  I  went 
back  to  the  little  camp  and  showed  the  gold  that  I  had 
washed  out,  and  told  the  boys  where  it  was  from. 

I  soon  left  the  camp,  going  up  the  river,  never  to  go 
there  again.  A  year  or  two  after,  meeting  a  man  who 
was  at  that  little  camp  when  I  left,  he  told  me  that  par 
ties  went  where  I  washed  out  that  seven  dollars,  and  that 
they  found  the  gulch  immensely  rich.  They  found  gold 
throughout  the  length  of  the  gulch,  which  was  several 
hundred  yards  long.  Had  I  known  enough  to  have  sunk 
a  hole,  I  would  have  struck  it,  and  could  have  worked 
the  gulch  out,  blocking  the  passage  under  the  old  tree- 
top,  and  by  that  means  closed  all  signs  of  entrance.  I 
could  have  camped  there  with  plenty  of  water  to  drink 
and  with  which  to  pan  out  gold,  come  out  at  night  for 
food,  and  returned  again  under  the  shadow  of  darkness. 
When  thinking  of  that  lost  opportunity  it  fills  me  with 
regret  to  think  how  hard  I  have  worked  for  one  dollar  a 
day  in  this  part  of  the  world,  when  in  that  little  gulch, 
quiet  and  alone,  I  could  have  made  from  one  hundred  to 
one  thousand  dollars  a  day,  and  not  overworked  either. 
•But  this  was  only  one  of  many  lost  opportunities. 

I  have  often  thought  the  reason  why  I  did  not  appre 
ciate  money  when  in  those  rich  gold  fields  was  because 


1 86  THE    ADVENTURES    OF  A 

of  spending  so  many  of  my  younger  days  in  Australia, 
where  we  had  no  money,  and  therefore  did  not  wish  for 
it  so  long  as  I  had  enough  to  pay  my  bills. 

I  have  seen  men  making  one  hundred  dollars  a  .day 
with  plenty  of  provisions  in  camp,  who  would  live  on 
thin  gruel  rather  than  pay  for  something  more  substan 
tial. 

I  met  three  men  on  what  was  called  Big  Bar  on  the 
Mokalunme  River.  They  came  out  on  the  "  Edward 
Everett."  One  was  named  Sargent ;  he  was  one  of  the 
Sargents  who  kept  a  hotel  at  the  head  of  Lewis  Wharf, 
and  was  known  as  Brad  Sargent.  One  of  the  others  was 
a  negro  cook,  and  the  name  of  the  third  man  I  have  for- 
fotten.  These  three  washed  out  eighteen  hundred  dol 
lars  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  which  they  divided,  and 
then  the  other  two  went  away  and  left  Sargent. 

About  that  time  I  concluded  to  go  over  to  the  Stanis 
laus.  Sargent  asked  that  if  I  found  anything  that  was 
good  to  let  him  know  and  he  would  follow.  After  a 
week's  prospecting,  liking  the  place,  I  went  back  to  the 
Mokalunme  River.  When  I  got  within  some  two  miles 
of  the  little  camp,  I  met  Sargent.  He  had  bought  a  jack 
and  was  going  to  leave  that  part  of  the  country.  I  con 
tinued  on  into  camp  and  came  to  Sargent's  old  brush 
shanty,  and  entered  to  see  what  he  had  left  behind,  and 
found  an  empty  candle  box,  as  I  supposed.  When 
opened  I  found  inside  a  stocking  which  was  very  heavy. 
Putting  my  hand  inside,  I  found  a  yeast-powder  box  full 
of  fine  gold  dust  such  as  was  to  be  found  on  the  banks  of 
the  river.  I  knew  at  once  that  it  was  Sargent's  share 
of  the  eighteen  hundred  dollars,  it  being  about  six  hun 
dred  dollars'  worth,  and  that  he  had  forgotten  it.  Put 
ting  it  back  into  the  stocking  and  into  the  box,  I  went  off 
a  few  rods  to  a  tent  which  was  used  for  a  little  bakery, 
sat  down  on  a  log  and  waited  for  Sargent's  return.  In 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  187 

about  ten  minutes  Sargent  came  over  the  hill  running- 
like  a  race  horse  ;  going  straight  to  the  brush  hut,  he 
soon  came  out  and  was  over  the  hill  and  away  out  of  sight, 
never  suspecting  I  had  found  his  gold  before  his  return. 

In  a  day  or  two  after  I  went  to  the  Stanislaus  River, 
overtaking  on  the  way  a  party  of  five  from  New  York, 
and  bought  into  their  outfit.  They  had  a  large  tent  and 
a  lot  of  provisions.  We  camped  on  a  large  bar  a  little 
below  the  mouth  of  a  stream  called  Coyote  Creek.  One 
of  the  party  became  my  partner.  Winter  was  just  then 
setting  in.  In  that  part  of  California  they  get  a  good 
deal  of  rain  in  winter, — what  we  would  call  a  very  rainy 
summer  in  New  England. 

One  day  my  partner  and  I  went  to  a  gulch  and  worked 
all  day  with  little  success.  At  night  I  thought  we  had 
better  cross  over  into  another  little  gulch  that  led  down 
to  the  bar  near  our  tent.  When  we  arrived,  we  found 
that  it  had  been  worked  a  little.  We  started  down 
toward  home,  and  soon  came  to  where  the  bed  rock  had 
been  washed  bare,  with  several  rough  points  rising  one 
or  two  feet  above  the  banks  of  the  gulch.  I  took  my 
knife  and  began  to  pick  out  the  dirt  from  the  crevices, 
soon  picking  out  a  nugget  of  gold ;  and  keeping  on,  in 
about  ten  minutes,  had  about  one  hundred  dollars  in  six 
pieces  of  gold.  We  went  home,  and  did  not  go  back  to 
the  place  again  until  quite  a  time  later.  We  thought 
then  that  we  had  obtained  all  there  was.  Winter  had  set 
in,  which  gave  the  miners  plenty  of  water  in  all  the 
gulches.  We  worked  around  in  different  places,  and 
made  about  a  hundred  dollars  apiece  a  week.  There  was 
a  ferry  about  a  mile  above  our  camp,  run  by  an  English 
man  named  Bolles.  He  kept  a  store  also,  and  had  a 
young  native  with  him  that  he  had  taken  along  from  some 
island  that  the  ship  stopped  at  in  which  he  came  from 
Australia  to  California. 


I  88  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

To  turn  back  a  little,  three  men  came  into  camp  who 
were  new  arrivals  in  the  country,  and  perfectly  green. 
They  built  themselves  a  brush  shanty  about  half-way 
between  our  camp  and  the  ferry,  five  or  six  rods  from  the 
banks  of  the  river.  A  few  days  after  we  noticed,  as  we 
passed,  that  they  had  a  rocker,  such  as  was  used  to  wash 
gold  at  that  time,  placed  near  the  river,  from  which  they 
bailed  water  to  wash  the  dirt  from  a  little  pile  by  the 
side  of  them.  When  any  one  asked  them  how  their  dirt 
was  paying,  they  would  say,  "  Not  very  well."  Perhaps 
they  would  show  a  dollar  or  two,  and  say  that  that  was  all 
they  had  got  out  of  a  small  mound  of  dirt  that  was  by  their 
side.  Sometimes  some  fellow  would  try  a  pan  of  their 
dirt,  in  order  to  be  more  fully  convinced  than  to  take  the 
man's  word.  He  would  always  get  very  little  gold,  per 
haps  twenty-five  cents,  which  at  that  time  was  considered 
next  to  nothing.  These  three  men  worked  in  the  above 
manner  for  three  weeks. 

I  noticed  that  the  little  pile  of  dirt  appeared  to  look 
about  the  same  every  time  that  I  passed  it,  and  yet  I 
thought  nothing  strange,  nor  did  any  of  the  others. 
One  Sunday  the  native  at  the  store  happened  to 
pass  into  a  thick  lot  of  underbrush,  which  resembled 
barberry-bushes,  about  five  or  six  rods  back  of  these 
three  fellows'  brush  hut.  The  boy  noticed  that  the 
ground  was  considerably  dug  up,  and  a  good  deal  ap 
peared  to  have  been  carried  away.  He  began  to  pick 
around  near  the  bed  rock,  which  had  been  stripped  bare, 
and  very  soon  dug  out  two  ounces  of  handsome  coarse 
river  gold.  He  then  ran  to  the  store  as  fast  as  his  legs 
would  carry  him.  The  story  that  the  fellow  told  and  the 
gold  that  he  had  were  convincing  to  all.  The  news 
spread  like  wildfire.  All  hands  were  soon  on  the  run, 
and  there  were  some  very  long  steps  taken  to  see  who 
would  get  there  first.  Unfortunately  for  me,  I  was  down 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  189 

at  my  own  tent  at  the  time.  When  I  arrived  the  best 
claims  were  staked.  At  that  early  day  miners  were 
allowed  only  fifteen  feet  square  for  a  claim.  I  finally 
got  hold  of  ground  and  stuck  down  my  stakes.  Those 
three  men  had  kept  one  man  at  the  river  washing  out 
dirt  that  they  knew  had  but  very  little  gold  in  it.  They 
kept  this  man  working  at  that  worthless  stuff  as  a  blind, 
while  the  others  were  concealed  in  those  bushes  taking 
out  a  fortune,  which  they  succeeded  in  doing.  I  went 
into  their  brush  hut  the  day  after ;  and  they  were  all 
making  buckskin  bags  the  size  of  a  man's  arm  and  some 
ten  inches  long.  How  many  of  those  bags  they  made  I 
do  not  know,  but  they  sold  their  effects  and  left  the 
country. 

I  bought  a  pair  of  common  cowhide  boots  of  them, 
and  paid  ten  dollars  for  them.  Boots  at  that  time  were 
worth  one  hundred  dollars,  but  they  only  charged  me 
ten.  I  took  them  to  camp,  knowing  one  of  my  camp- 
mates  wanted  a  pair.  The  storekeeper  offered  me  four 
'ounces  of  gold  for  them,  which  was  equal  to  sixty-four 
dollars,  but  I  would  not  let  him  have  them,  but  sold 
them  to  my  camp-mate  for  sixteen  dollars,  thinking  six 
dollars  enough  for  me  to  make  on  them,  having  only 
carried  them  about  half  a  mile.  I  knew  that  if  my  com 
panion  had  to  buy  them  of  the  storekeeper,  he  would 
have  to  pay  one  hundred  dollars  for  them,  which  he 
could  not  afford  to  do. 

A  man  called  at  our  tent  one  day  who  had  on  a  pair 
of  long-legged  boots,  the  heel  of  one  of  which  was 
ripped  off  some  four  inches.  I  offered  to  mend  them 
for  him,  and  he  said  that  if  I  would  he  would  give  me 
four  dollars.  Taking  the  boot  I  went  to  work  with  a 
common  table  fork  and  some  twine,  and  in  less  than 
half  an  hour  had  the  boot  mended  good  as  new  and 
received  my  money. 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

On  the  bar  where  I  was  camped  stood  an  old  log- 
cabin  built  by  a  man  named  Murphy,  who  used  to  trade 
with  the  Indians.  His  stock  in  trade  consisted  of  blankets 
and  many  small  trinkets,  and  some  provisions,  such  as 
flour,  sugar,  raisins,  etc.  His  books  at  night  would 
show  many  pounds  of  gold  from  the  day's  sales  instead 
of  ounces  or  dollars.  It  was  said  that  an  Indian  came 
to  him  one  day  with  a  nugget  of  gold  which  was  too 
heavy  to  be  weighed  with  his  gold  scales ;  the  Indian 
wanted  raisins  for  it.  Mr.  Murphy  was  not  long  in 
devising  a  plan  to  weigh  the  gold.  He  put  the  gold 
into  a  water  bucket  and  took  a  box  of  raisins  and  tied  a 
string  around  it,  and  then  balanced  a  crowbar  across  a 
log  and  hung  the  box  of  raisins  to  one  end  and  the 
bucket  with  the  gold  to  the  other  and  made  them  balance. 
The  Indian  was  satisfied  that  he  had  got  good  measure, 
and  left  the  camp  rejoicing. 

The  traders  used  always  to  take  double  weight  in  gold 
from  the  Indians,  and  quite  often  from  the  miners,  as 
many  of  them  at  that  time  did  not  know  a  one-ounce 
from  a  two-ounce  weight.  Few  had  ever  even  seen  a 
pair  of  gold  scales  until  they  came  to  California,  so  were 
easily  imposed  on. 

The  Indians,  after  mixing  with  the  miners,  began  to 
catch  on  to  Mr.  Murphy's  little  game,  so  when  they  found 
a  large  lump  of  gold  they  would  chip  off  a  little  piece 
and  bring  that  in  and  sell  it,  and  after  they  had  used 
what  it  bought  they  would  chip  off  another  piece  and  sell 
it,  and  continue  in  that  way  until  the  piece  was  disposed 
of.  Many  a  man  who  made  a  fortune  in  trading  in  those 
days  in  California  got  his  start  in  that  way.  Not  content 
with  a  good  thing,  they  wanted  the  whole  earth  and 
thought  they  had  a  clear  claim  to  it.  This  man  Murphy 
made  several  fortunes  and  lost  them  playing  monte. 

It  was  said  that  at  some  of  the  little  towns  on  the  coast 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  19  I 

he  bet  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  on  one  card.  He 
was  too  drunk  to  look  after  his  bet,  and  the  gamblers 
drew  the  man's  winning  card,  and  kept  on  drawing  until 
their  card  came,  and  then  took  the  stakes.  Parties  look 
ing  on  saw  the  cheat,  but  dared  not  mention  it,  since  the 
gamblers  had  their  six-shooters  by  their  sides  on  the 
table,  and  would  have  used  them  freely  at  the  first  word 
against  them.  Murphy  died  later  on,  a  poor  man. 

A  man  named  Robinson  started  a  store  in  our  settle 
ment.  He  used  to  cheat  the  Indians  with  double  weights, 
as  I  have  seen  him  do  many  a  time.  He  made  about 
sixty  thousand  dollars,  and  then  went  home  to  the  South. 
He  was  formerly  a  Northern  man,  but  settled  in  the 
South.  I  met  a  soldier  of  the  late  war  who  knew  him. 
He  said  that  Robinson  bought  negroes  with  the  money 
that  he  got  in  California,  and  during  the  war  kept  a 
sutler's  store  and  would  take  all  the  Southern  script  that 
he  could  get  hold  of ;  and  it  was  said  that  our  boys  sup-, 
plied  him  with  a  goodly  lot.  After  the  war  he  went  back 
to  California  again,  but  I  presume  found  it  r.ither  dry 
picking,  with  no  Indians  to  help  him  to  another  fortune. 

When  in  California  the  first  time,  Mr.  Robinson  built 
the  first  ferry  across  the  river  at  that  point,  I  having 
sawed  the  planks  for  the  boat  at  twelve  dollars  a  day  and 
board.  That  ferry  later  on  became  the  principal  passage 
across  the  Stanislaus  River. 

Another  man  kept  a  store  about  a  mile  above  this  big 
bar,  whose  name  I  need  not  mention  here,  since  a  very 
recent  wonderful  discovery  in  that  immediate  neighbor 
hood  might  connect  him  with  an  uncanny  business ;  be 
sides,  it  may  be  possible  that  he  has  good  and  respectable 
connections  yet  alive  who  would  regret  to  know  that  he 
might  have  been  connected  with  such  unlawful  business. 
According  to  his  account  of  himself,  he  was  an  old 
pirate  captain.  He  boasted  of  his  deeds  of  daring,  of 


192  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

the  fights  he  used  to  have,  and  how  many  men  he  had 
slaughtered.  He  always  had  a  rough  lot  around  his 
place;  he  also  traded  with  Indians  in  the  same  manner 
other  traders  did.  After  the  mines  began  to  fail  he  left 
the  camp. 

I  left  the  camp  in  the  early  spring  of  1852  to  go  to 
Australia  in  1853,  where  I  spent  a  year  in  the  mines,  and 
returned  home  by  the  way  of  South  America,  when, 
after  four  months'  stay  at  home,  I  returned  again  to  Cali 
fornia.  This  time  I  took  a  brother  along,  and  when  we 
arrived  at  Stockton  we  started  on  foot  for  Angel's  Camp. 
The  camp  was  in  the  mining  district  about  seventy  miles 
away.  We  took  a  road  that  led  up  by  Bear  Mountain. 
The  second  night  out  brought  us  into  the  foothills  at  the 
extreme  edge  of  the  plains.  There  we  found  a  rudely 
built  cabin.  I  went  to  the  door,  opened  it  and  looked  in, 
and  before  me  was  the  old  pirate  captain  and  two  or 
three  rough-looking  fellows.  He  appeared  pleased  to 
see  me  and  invited  us  in.  I  told  him  we  were  on  our 
way  to  the  mines,  and  he  invited  us  to  remain  with  him 
over  night,  and  we  concluded  to  do  so.  After  dark  we 
spread  our  blankets  on  the  ground,  for  there  were  no 
bunks  or  bedsteads  in  the  place.  I  did  not  feel  just  right, 
knowing  what  the  man  had  been,  and  yet  I  knew  that  he 
must  be  aware  that  we  could  not  have  much  money 
about  us,  as  I  told  him  that  we  had  but  one  dollar  when 
we  landed  in  Stockton.  We  got  to  sleep  after  a  while, 
tired  with  our  long  tramp  over  a  hot  and  sandy  road. 
We  slept  soundly  until  about  midnight,  when  we  were 
awakened  by  half  a  dozen  rough-looking  fellows  who 
had  just  entered.  They  appeared  to  be  at  home,  and 
when  they  espied  an  extra  bed  on  the  ground,  they  were 
more  guarded.  They  had  looked  us  over  a  little,  and 
soon  camped  down  on  the  ground.  I  felt  a  little  nervous, 
but  kept  quiet  and  thought  I  would  keep  awake  and  see 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  193 

how  things  turned  out.  I  did  not  mean  to  be  caught 
napping  if  they  meant  us  any  harm.  I  waited  and 
watched  anxiously  for  daylight  to  shine  through  the  one 
little  window,  and  at  the  first  glimpse  of  day  we  were  up 
and  ready  for  the  road  again.  I  told  our  host,  whom  I 
found  also  awake,  that  we  wanted  to  reach  Angel's  Camp 
that  day.  We  thanked  him  for  his  hospitality,  and  left  to 
arrive  safely  at  Angel's  Camp  that  afternoon. 

A  number  of  years  after  this  event  there  was  discovered 
in  California  down  in  the  foothills  near  the  plains,  and 
also  near  an  old  cabin,  a  well  filled  with  human  skeletons. 
Reading  that,  my  mind  went  back  in  a  moment  to  my 
old  friend  the  pirate  captain,  and  I  saw  the  whole  scene 
over  again.  I  also  read  the  account  of  finding  naked 
skeletons  in  the  marble  cave  in  Toulumne  County.  Ac 
cording  to  the  locality  as  reported,  it  could  not  have 
been  much  over  one  mile  above  this  man's  store.  There 
were  many  men  about  that  place  from  Australia  who  had 
been  convicts,  and  had  either  made  their  escape  or  had 
served  out  their  time  and  come  to  California.  Now  it 
seems  to  me  that  the  two  pits  containing  human  bones 
and  the  pirate  captain  were  somehow  connected.  To 
account  for  the  absence  of  remnants  of  clothing  in  the 
marble  cave  is  very  easy,  when  we  take  in  the  situation 
of  1848  and  1849.  Anything  in  the  shape  of  boots  or 
clothing,  either  old  or  new,  was  worth  nearly  its 
weight  in  gold,  and  no  one  would  think  of  asking  a  man 
where  he  got  his  boots  or  clothing  or  whether  they  were 
old  or  new.  Again,  I  have  seen  many  Indians,  some 
with  a  vest  on  and  nothing  else,  and  others  with  a  pair 
of  pants,  while  others  had  one  boot  on  one  foot  and  a 
hat  on  their  head,  not  knowing,  neither  caring,  where 
they  came  from.  The  Digger  Indians  in  that  part  of  the 
country  did  not  appear  to  be  a  people  who  ever  went  to 
war  among  themselves,  therefore  I  do  not  think  those 


194  THE    ADVENTURES  OF   A 

bones  belonged  to  that  tribe  ;  and  yet,  if  they  were  re 
mains  of  Indians,  another  theory  would  explain  the  cause 
of  their  bones  being  found  in  the  cave.  A  few  years 
ago  the  miners,  who  were  working  their  claims  under 
Table  Mountain,  which  is  about  one  mile  from  marble 
cave,  dug  up  a  human  skull  in  a  good  state  of  preserva 
tion.  Now  Table  Mountain  stands  on  the  bed  of  an 
ancient  river  which  undoubtedly  was  the  old  course  of  the 
Stanislaus.  The  river  had  been  driven  from  its  course 
by  a  tremendous  flow  of  matter  which  must  have  flowed 
from  some  volcanic  source  above ;  the  result  being  to 
dam  the  river  and  cause  large  lakes  to  be  formed,  which 
would  eventually  break  their  way  through  the  walls 
which  held  them,  and  when  once  liberated  the  water 
would  soon  cut  a  new  channel.  It  must  have  been  very 
many  centuries  since,  for  the  present  channel  of  the 
river  Stanislaus  is  some  five  hundred  feet  below  the  old 
bed  under  Table  Mountain.  The  country  being  deluged 
with  fire  and  water,  the  natives  would  think  the  world 
was  to  be  burned  up,  and  would  flee  for  some  place  of 
shelter,  and  knowing  of  the  cave  would  plunge  into  it, 
taking  their  chances  of  getting  out  again.  It  is  evident 
there  were  Indians  inhabited  the  land  at  the  time  of  the 
filling  of  the  old  river  bed.  The  finding  of  the  skull 
beneath  the  mountain  is  .evidence  and  proves  that  bones 
might  preserve  their  general  contour  for  an  indefinite 
period  in  a  dry  cave. 

But  to  return  to  my  narrative.  In  company  with  an 
other  party  I  tried  to  turn  a  creek  a  little  below,  where  rich 
diggings  had  been  found  and  worked  out,  thinking  the 
bed  of  the  creek  at  that  point  must  be  rich.  All  the 
other  miners  had  left  the  camp  except  us  two.  We  worked 
about  a  week,  when,  finding  that  there  was  too  much 
water  to  contend  with,  we  gave  it  up,  and  I  went  to 
Sonora.  Later  I  heard  that  others  turned  the  creek  at 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  195 

that  point,  and  very  soon  took  out  thirty  thousand  dollars. 
Arriving  at  Sonora,  I  put  up  at  a  cabin  kept  by  a  man 
whom  they  called  Josh  Holden,  and  it  was  said  that  he 
was  an  old  Southern  steamboat  gambler.  The  first  man 
that  I  had  occasion  to  speak  to  was  the  notorious  Billy 
Mulligan,  whom  the  vigilant  committees  had  such  a  tussle 
with  in  later  years  in  San  Francisco  ;  but  he  was  an  hon 
est,  law-abiding  young  man  when  I  first  met  him,  so 
much  so  that  I  often  trusted  all  my  gold  with  him,  and 
he  never  betrayed  my  confidence.  After  a  while  he  got 
into  bad  company  and  commenced  gambling,  going  from 
bad  to  worse. 

There  was  plenty  of  rich  ground  both  in  and  near  the 
town.  Some  parties  struck  it  rich  when  digging  their 
cellars  ;  but  strange  to  relate,  I  thought  they  were  not 
rich  enough  for  me.  Every  camp,  if  only  a  week  old, 
looked  to  a  new  arrival  as  if  it  was  all  worked  out.  Ev 
erybody  appeared  to  be  unsatisfied  unless  he  happened 
to  be  one  of  the  first  to  stake  a  claim  at  a  new  discovery. 
If  a  man  was  seen  sticking  a  stake  or  digging  with  a  pick 
at  any  little  distance  away  from  the  mines  that  were  being- 
worked,  all  hands  would  get  out  of  their  holes,  catch  up 
a  pick  and  a  shovel,  and  start  on  the  run  for  the  fellow. 
When  they  got  up 'to  him  they  would  commence  to  mark 
out  claims  all  around  him,  and  after  they  had  staked  out 
a  few  hundred  claims,  and  had  the  fellow  completely 
hedged  in,  they  would  approach  him  and  ask  him  how  it 
panned  out.  After  all,  the  man  might  only  have  been 
digging  out  a  stone  to  put  into  his  chimney  or  throw  at  a 
bird.  I  noticed  that  the  miners  got  into  the  habit  in 
Australia  of  running  after  all  new  finds ;  but  there  was 
less  shooting  in  Australia,  notwithstanding  that  it  was  full 
of  old  convicts.  There  were  plenty  of  mounted  police 
to  look  after  matters,  while  in  California  each  man  was 
his  own  police,  judge,  and  jury.  Everybody  wanted  the 


196  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

richest  claim,  and  would  often  leave  a  rich  claim  and  stake 
out  a  worthless  one,  and  some  one  else  would  take  the 
abandoned  claim  and  take  out  a  fortune. 

There  were  many  in  that  country  in  the  early  days  who 
wanted  to  stake  out  the  whole  country  and  would  hold  it 
if  they  could.  I  have  seen  many  of  them  who  were 
worse  than  any  brigands  that  ever  infested  any  country, 
and  yet  at  that  time  there  was  plenty  for  all  to  be  ob 
tained  for  digging  for  it  in  an  honest  way.  But  no  mat 
ter  how  refined  and  law  abiding  men  may  be  at  home, 
turn  them  loose  in  a  new  country  like  California  in  1849, 
away  from  law  and  order,  with  no  restraint  over  them,  and 
they  soon  become  devils  incarnate.  Although  there  were 
some  noble  exceptions,  this  was  generally  the  case.  I 
have  been  driven  away  from  many  a  rich  claim  which 
legally  belonged  to  me,  but  never  carried  a  pistol,  as  the 
majority  of  the  miners  did.  I  thought  it  the  better  part 
of  valor  to  take  water  when  I  had  a  good  navy  revolver 
stuck  under  my  nose,  and  at  the  same  time  saw  a  large 
Texas  dirk  knife  slowly  slipping  from  a  fellow's  boot;  but 
some  of  those  fellows  would  sometimes  meet  with  the 
wrong  man,  and  get  loaded  with  bullets.  I  think  it  well 
that  I  did  not  carry  weapons,  since  I  might  have  let  day 
light  through  a  number  that  I  met  with.  I  did  not  go  to 
that  country  on  a  hunting  tour,  so  never  had  any  serious 
trouble  with  any  one.  I  found  it  quite  as  easy  to  keep 
out  of  trouble,  as  to  get  out  after  getting  into  it. 

Sometimes  two  men  would  have  a  rough-and-tumble 
fight,  which  would  start  the  whole  camp  on  the  run. 
Some  of  them  would  be  shouting,  "  Hang  him !  "  and  when 
they  came  up  would  inquire  what  the  fellow  had  done. 

My  first  night  in  Sonora  had  something  to  do  with 
my  keeping  away  from  wrangling  crowds  who  used 
pistols  freely.  While  in  Mr.  Holden's  cabin  a  little  after 
dark,  we  heard  a  riot  going  on  not  far  away.  A  number 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  197 

of  shots  were  fired.  Young  Mulligan  said  to  me,  "  Come, 
let  us  go  down  and  see  what  is  up."  We  found  the 
trouble  was  in  a  large  gaming  tent.  Started  in,  I  passed 
many  who  seemed  to  be  in  a  great  hurry  to  get  out,  and 
I  noticed  that  several  shots  were  cracking  painfully  near 
me,  but  I  pushed  on  inside,  which  was  packed  with  seeth 
ing  humanity,  each  trying  to  see  who  would  be  the  first 
to  get  out.  Jammed  into  the  middle  of  the  group  was  a 
savage-looking  Mexican,  with  a  large  knife  twenty  inches 
long.  He  was  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice  in  his 
own  language.  At  the  farther  end  of  the  tent  was  a 
table,  and  a  man  who  held  a  candle  beside  it,  bending 
over  a  young  man  who  was  laying  on  his  back  on  the 
table.  The  young  man  was  in  great  distress  and  pain. 
Pushing  my  way  through  the  crowd  to  the  table  where 
the  young  man  lay,  I  stumbled  over  the  bodies  of  a  few 
dead  men  who  lay  stretched  on  the  floor.  On  reaching 
the  table  I  learned  that  the  young  man  had  been  shot  in 
the  lung,  and  that  the  man  at  his  side  was  a  doctor,  and 
I  held  the  candle  while  he  probed  the  wound  for  the  bul 
let,  but  the  wounded  man  soon  died.  The  gamblers 
had  got  into  a  dispute  over  their  games,  and  had  mounted 
the  tables  and  opened  fire  right  and  left.  I  concluded 
that  if  gamblers  were  so  very  careless  as  to  where  they 
threw  their  lead,  it  was  best  to  keep  clear  of  them.  This 
young  man  who  lay  on  the  table  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  trouble,  but  got  shot  from  being  present.  The  Mexi 
can  with  the  long  knife  was  his  partner,  and  he  was  on 
the  hunt  for  the  man  that  shot  him,  and  this  caused  the 
stampede.  Each  man  thought  himself  liable  to  become 
the  Mexican's  victim. 

A  day  or  two  later  there  was  a  party  formed  to  go  up 
into  the  mountains,  and  I  joined  them.  About  a  dozen 
of  us  started  with  pack  animals  loaded  with  supplies  and 
tools.  We  passed  up  through  what  was  later  known  as 


198  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

Columbia  Mining  Camp,  which  contained  at  that  time  gold 
enough  to  have  made  us  all  rich,  but  we  did  not  know  it 
was  there.  We  finally  came  to  a  place  called  MacDon- 
ald's  Flats,  which  was  paying  well.  Going  up  to  one 
tent  where  two  or  three  men  were  standing,  who  should 
be  standing  there  but  my  old  shipmate,  the  second  mate 
of  the  old  bark  "  Kingston,"  of  Fairhaven,  from  which 
I  had  run  away  at  Hobartstown,  Van  Dieman's  Land,  in 
1846?  He  had  given  up  whaling  and  had  taken  to  min 
ing,  and  he  advised  me  to  stop  with  him,  but  being 
bound  for  the  mountains  nothing  would  stop  me.  We 
encountered  snow  which  had  lain  on  the  ground  appar 
ently  many  years,  and  was  as  solid  as  the  ground  beneath 
it.  We  camped  one  night  on  the  snow,  and  a  big  snow 
storm  came  on  before  morning.  After  daylight  we  dug 
ourselves  out  and  took  the  back  track  for  a  more 
congenial  climate,  which,  in  travelling  through  the 
country,  we  soon  found.  Below  the  snow  line  we  saw 
some  very  large  trees.  One  sugar  pine  which  had 
blown  down  was  quite  twelve  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
but.  We  tried  to  get  on  top  of  it,  and  to  do  so  had 
to  go  about  one  hundred  feet  to  the  first  limbs,  and  by 
mounting  the  limbs  managed  to  get  on  top  of  the  log. 
It  was  one  of  the  handsomest  logs  that  I  ever  saw,  and 
would  have  made  many  thousand  feet  of  clear  lumber. 
It  seemed  wicked  that  it  was  destined  to  rot  where  it  lay, 
or  become  food  for  the  brush  fires.  I  paced  a  small 
pine  that  was  about  two  feet  at  the  but  which  had  been 
blown  down  and  from  the  but  to  the  top  was  seventy- 
three  paces.  I  had  lingered  behind  a  little,  and  to  catch 
up  cut  across  by  a  near  way  to  reach  the  party.  I  saw 
ahead  of  me  what  appeared  to  be  a  Mexican  corral,  which 
was  made  by  driving  posts  into  the  ground  in  a  large 
circle.  On  coming  up  to  it  I  found  on  investigation  that 
the  posts  were  the  pillars  or  ribs  that  are  found  on  those 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  I  99 

big  trees  that  were  discovered  standing  two  years  later. 
Passing  around  the  pillars  or  roots,  it  measured  twenty 
paces,  which  would  make  the  distance  through  twenty 
feet.  I  called  the  attention  of  our  party  to  them  when  I 
overtook  them,  but  they  were  so  preoccupied  with  the 
object  of  our  journey  they  did  not  think  it  worth  while 
to  investigate.  I  believe  it  to  be  a  fact  that  I  was  the 
first  white  man  that  discovered  that  gigantic  trees  existed 
in  those  mountains,  although  a  hunter  who  was  hunting 
for  the  Union  Water  Company,  who  were  putting  water 
into  Murphy's  Camp,  found  two  standing,  two  years  after 
my  find.  Of  the  two  trees  found  by  Lorenzo  Dow,  that 
being  the  hunter's  name,  one  was  cut  down  and  a  ten- 
pin  alley  cut  on  the  upper  side  of  the  trunk,  and  the 
stump  was  levelled  off  and  used  as  a  dance  hall.  The 
bark  was  taken  off  the  other  up  to  the  first  limb,  one 
hundred  feet,  and  at  that  height  the  trunk  was  twelve 
feet  in  diameter.  The  first  limb  was  four  feet  through. 
It  took  several  men  six  weeks  to  cut  one  of  these  trees 
down.  They  cut  it  down  about  three  feet  above  the 
ground  by  boring  it  with  a  long  auger.  It  took  a  week 
to  fell  it  after  it  first  began  to  lean  and  to  crack.  Every 
new  hole  would  weaken  it  a  little,  until  it  finally  went  to 
the  ground  amid  cheers  and  a  tremendous  crash,  which 
resounded  throughout  the  silent  forest.  The  stump 
measured  in  solid  wood  twenty-seven  feet,  but  when 
planed  off,  the  ribs  boarded  over  the  total  length  across 
the  stump,  was  thirty-three  feet. 

Capt.  Hunford,  the  president  of  the  Union  Water 
Company,  had  the  bark  off  to  the  height  of  a  hundred 
feet.  To  accomplish  it  they  bored  holes  in  some  twenty 
inches  and  drove  in  trunnels  and  continued  up  in  a  spiral 
form,  thus  passing  several  times  around  the  tree  in  reach 
ing  the  hundred  feet.  Then  a  tackle  was  attached  to 
the  big  limb,  and  the  bark  taken  off  in  sections.  Thirty 


2OO  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

feet  of  the  bark  was  sent  to  New  York  and  set  up,  but 
people  could  not  believe  that  it  represented  the  size  of 
one  tree  ;  they  thought  the  bark  had  been  taken  from 
different  trees.  The  bark  was  eighteen  inches  thick.  A 
small  section  of  the  bark  of  that  tree  was  to  be  seen  in 
the  old  Scollay  House  in  Seollay  Square,  before  the  old 
building  was  torn  down.  One  man  fell  from  the  big 
limb  to  the  ground,  one  hundred  feet,  but  escaped  with 
only  a  broken  thigh,  as  there  was  about  twenty  inches  of 
moss  covered  the  ground,  which  broke  his  fall. 

Leaving  the  mountains,  we  were  again  soon  camped 
on  MacDonald's  Flat.  The  next  morning,  after  our  re 
turn,  a  lot  of  miners  were  gathered  around  a  tent,  and 
going  over  to  see  what  was  up,  I  looked  inside,  and  there 
lay  a  man  that  was  almost  entirely  covered  with  court- 
plaster.  He  had  been  attacked  in  his  bed  that  night  by 
two  Mexicans  whom  he  had  taken  in  and  befriended. 
They  first  threw  a  large  stone  on  to  his  head,  which 
aroused  him;  and  as  he  sprang  up  they  went  at  him 
with  their  knives.  When  they  made  a  thrust  at  him,  he 
would  clinch  the  knives  right  and  left,  and  of  course  they 
would  draw  back  the  knifes  and  make  another  stab  ;  this 
work  was  continued  until  both  hands  were  cut  into  a 
shapeless  mass,  and  his  body  had  hundreds  of  cuts  on  it. 
He  finally  broke  away  from  them  and  got  into  camp 
nearly  dead  from  the  loss  of  blood,  but  none  of  his 
wounds  proved  fatal.  This  was  a  sample  occurrence  in 
the  diggings  at  that  time. 

Most  of  the  camp  had  gone  down  a  mile  or  two  below 
to  new  diggings  that  had  been  found  while  I  was  in  the 
mountains,  and  following  them  down  I  soon  met  my 
shipmate,  who  had  got  a  rich  claim.  He  said  that  he 
was  the  second  man  who  staked  a  claim  in  that  camp,  and 
if  I  had  taken  his  advice  I  might  have  been  a  third  to 
stake  a  claim  by  his  side,  out  of  which  had  been  taken 
one  nugget  that  weighed  four  pounds. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  2OI 

This  camp  was  called  Columbia,  which  became  a  cele 
brated  one  on  account  of  its  extensive  mining  industry. 
The  first  man  who  discovered  gold  in  that  camp  was  a 
Mexican,  who  struck  in  a  little  gulch  that  led  down  to  the 
main  flat.  The  news  soon  spread  like  a  forest  fire.  The 
miners  found  later  on  that  the  little  gulch  had  furnished 
the  gold  not  only  for  that  immediate  camp,  but  many 
others  farther  below.  The  old  channel  of  the  Stanislaus 
was  traced  from  Table  Mountain  up  the  whole  length  of 
Columbia  Flat,  which  was  very  rich  in  gold.  The  pent- 
up  waters  in  the  old  bed  beneath  Table  Mountain  had 
broken  through  the  crust  that  held  them  and  cut  a 
channel  down  the  sides  and  into  many  gulches,  and  from 
these  into  creeks  which  emptied  into  the  river  miles  be 
low.  In  this  manner  the  gold  was  carried  from  the 
fountain  head,  which  was  near  that  little  gulch,  through 
many  different  channels,  where  thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  gold  had  lodged  in  the 
beds  and  on  the  banks  where  it  was  found  by  the  miners. 
Thus  it  will  readily  be  seen  how  many  camps  were  sup 
plied  from  Columbia  Gulch. 

I  soon  left  that  camp,  thinking  that  all  the  best  claims 
were  staked  up,  while  it  was  later  proven  that  there  were 
many  hundred  claims  unstaked,  and  that,  too,  right 
at  our  feet.  In  leaving  the  camp  I  travelled  fully  a  mile 
over  the  old  river  bed,  which  run  under  Table  Mountain. 
It  might  truly  be  said  that  I  was  walking  on  a  pavement 
of  gold  while  hunting  for  gold,  and  did  not  know  enough 
to  stoop  and  pick  it  up  ;  but  I  was  not  the  only  one  who 
did  not  know  when  he  had  a  good  thing,  for  there  were 
many  who  had  the  same  experience. 

I  have  known  diggings  to  be  discovered  by  seeing  a 
nugget  of  several  pounds'  weight  sticking  out  of  the 
ground  that  a  stage  wheel  had  turned  outpin  a  road  that 
had  been  used  as  a  public  highway  for  three  years. 


2O2  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

That  being  a    fact,  there  was    some    excuse  for  me  and 
perhaps  for  others. 

Next  I  found  myself  back  at  my  old  camp  at  the  ferry, 
and  found  that  things  were  wonderfully  changed  in  a  few 
months.  The  ground  where  I  had  camped,  and  over 
which  I  had  many  times  tramped  in  search  of  gold,  was 
completely  worked  over,  and  many  claims  had  yielded 
fortunes  to  the  owners.  Here  I  picked  around  in  differ 
ent  places,  but  could  not  make  it  pan  out  much,  so  went 
to  work  on  a  bar  on  the  river,  a  little  above  where  the 
old  pirate  captain's  tent  stood.  A  little  above  where  I 
was  working  were  a  lot  of  what  I  first  thought  were  In 
dians,  but  when  I  went  in  amongst  them  soon  found 
there  were  no  Indians  among  them.  A  white  man,  not 
far  off,  was  sitting  near  a  little  tent  about  large  enough 
to  hold  one  man.  Upon  approaching  him,  I  saw  that  he 
was  an  Englishman,  and  a  man  of  some  note.  He  had 
that  dignified,  aristrocratic  look  about  him  that  one  will 
always  see  in  a  well-bred  English  gentleman.  He  wanted 
to  know  what  he  could  do  for  me.  I  replied  nothing  in 
particular,  unless  it  was  to  tell  me  who  those  black,  curly 
headed  people  were  that  were  mining  there,  saying  that 
I  had  seen  people  who  very  much  resembled  them  be 
fore.  He  wanted  to  know  where  I  had  seen  such  na 
tives,  and  I  told  him  at  the  Fiji  Islands.  He  said  that 
they  came  from  that  place. 

Learning  that  I  had  been  at  the  Fiji  Islands  and  had 
spent  several  years  in  Australia,  he  became  quite  com 
municative,  and  related  to  me  why  he  had  the  natives 
mining  for  him.  Possibly  he  thought  I  had  heard  about 
him  when  in  Australia ;  and  since  there  are  always  two 
sides  to  every  story,  I  might  have  heard  the  bad  side  of 
his  experience  in  that  country.  He  stated  that  he  went 
out  to  Australia  with  half  a  million  pounds  sterling.  He 
snpposed  that  the  people  in  the  colonies  were  English, 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  203 

and  it  would  be  quite  as  easy  to  get  along  with  them  as 
it  was  in  England  ;  in  other  words,  could  be  moulded  at 
the  will  and  pleasure  of  their  masters,  the  rich. 

He  bought  a  large  lot  of  land  not  far  from  Sydney, 
and  built  up  quite  a  town  which  he  called  Boydstown, 
after  his  own  name,  but  through  some  mistakes  and  the 
high  price  of  labor  he  did  not  prosper,  and  finally  his 
property  got  run  down,  while  things  went  from  bad  to 
worse.  About  that  time  the  California  fever  was  raging 
in  Australia.  Having  a  yacht  and  a  few  hundred  pounds, 
he  thought  he  would  run  down  to  the  Fiji  Islands  and 
take  on  board  a  few  natives  and  go  to  California  and  try 
and  regain  his  fortune  at  mining.  On  arriving  at  Cali 
fornia  he  left  his  yacht  in  charge  of  a  part  of  his  crew, 
and  came  with  the  rest  and  some  natives  to  the  mining 
district,  and  located  on  that  bar  on  the  Stanislaus. 

After  that  meeting  I  called  quite  often  on  him,  at  his 
earnest  desire.  He  wanted  to  talk  over  the  matter  of 
his  misfortunes  in  Australia,  since  I  had  a  good  deal  of 
sympathy  for  him.  On  my  visits  he  always  reached  for 
his  bottle  of  good  old  English  brandy,  which  he  claimed 
was  older  than  himself,  and  he  was  near  about  seventy 
years  old. 

Hearing  of  good  diggings  that  had  been  discovered  at 
Carson's  Creek,  I  left  my  friend,  Capt.  Boyd,  behind  with 
his  cannibals. 

A  few  years  later,  when  in  Australia,  the  other  side  of 
the  old  man's  story  was  related  to  me,  as  well  as  the  fate 
that  befell  him  after  he  left  California  on  his  way  back  to 
Sydney  again. 

He  did  build  a  town,  as  he  said;  but  the  reason  why  he 
did  not  prosper  was  because  he  tried  to  bring  wages 
down  to  one  sixpence  a  day  for  labor,  and  the  working 
class  would  not  stand  such  reduction  in  a  country 
where  there  was  as  much  freedom  as  in  the  United 


2O4  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

States  to  all  those  who  were  not  held  under  bond.  The 
result  was  that  the  old  man  was  boycotted.  When  he 
left  California  he  had  about  thirty  thousand  dollars  in 
gold.  He  landed  his  natives  at  the  Fiji  Islands  and 
started  for. Sydney.  On  the  way  his  crew  murdered  him, 
threw  his  body  overboard,  took  the  yacht  and  gold  and 
left  for  parts  unknown.  Such  was  believed  to  be  his  fate 
from  accounts  learned  later. 

At  Carson's  Creek  I  found  on  my  arrival  a  lively  lot  of 
miners  putting  in  their  best  work  at  mining,  some  sink 
ing  shafts,  while  others  were  scooping  out  the  rich  gravel 
and  clay  from  the  bottom  of  their  sunken  shafts.  As  in 
other  camps,  many^shafts  had  been  sunk  which  had  not 
struck  pay  dirt  and  were  abandoned.  I  strolled  about 
awhile,  and  finally  went  into  one  of  the  abandoned  pits, 
and  picked  a  little  with  my  knife  and  found  some  gold, 
but  not  enough  to  pay,  but  noticed  a  quartz  bowlder  at 
one  side  of  the  shaft.  At  first  I  thought  I  would  remove 
it,  and  could  have  done  so  after  ten  minutes'  work,  but 
changed  my  mind,  and  leaving  the  shaft  went  down  be 
low  to  where  a  party  of  miners  had  sunk  a  shaft  and 
struck  water,  and  were  pumping  the  water  out  which 
flowed  down  below  them  and  over  some  unoccupied 
ground.  Here  I  began  to  stake  a  claim.  Before  getting 
my  stakes  down  I  concluded  that  the  water  from  the 
claim  above  would  give  me  much  trouble,  so  gave  up  the 
idea  and  staked  a  claim  at  a  place  which  was  clear  of 
water.  About  that  time  I  met  five  men  with  whom  I  was 
acquainted,  and  they  wanted  me  to  stake  six  claims  and 
all  go  in  together.  I  staked  six  claims,  each  fifteen  feet 
square,  and  staked  them  all  in  a  line  above  the  party  who 
had  struck  water  as  before  stated.  We  worked  three  at 
a  time  on  one  claim,  while  in  the  mean  time  the  other 
three  went  where  they  pleased.  When  it  was  my  day 
off  I  worked  on  the  other  claim  I  had  staked  when 
alone. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  2O5 

Two  or  three  days  after  leaving  that  as  I  thought  ban 
shaft  where  the  quartz  bowlder  was,  another  man  went 
into  the  shaft  and  in  a  very  short  time  dug  out  the 
bowlder  and  scooped  up  three  thousand  dollars  be 
neath  it. 

After  a  while  I  got  my  shaft  down  about  four  feet  and 
struck  a  point  of  the  bed  rock,  then  dug  down  by  the 
side  of  it  and  soon  came  to  water.  In  a  crevice  on  the 
slope  I  found  a  little  nugget  worth  about  one  dollar. 

Just  then  one  of  our  company's  men  at  the  shaft  came 
to  me  and  said  that  they  had  struck  bottom,  and  wanted 
me  to  try  the  dirt.  I  took  out  a  pan  of  the  gravel  and 
took  it  to  my  shaft  and  washed  it  out,  but  found  no  gold  ; 
then  returned,  took  another  pan  at  the  same  place,  but  a 
little  deeper,  and  washed  it  out  and  got  about  forty 
dollars.  I  left  my  wet  hole  at  once,  and  all  hands 
went  to  work  in  the  shaft  where  there  was  gold  appar 
ently  in  plenty.  To  make  a  long  story  short,  we  took 
out  five  thousand  dollars  in  a  short  time,  and  then  taking 
a  pack  of  cards,  one  was  dealt  to  each  with  the  un 
derstanding  that  whoever  got  the  ace  of  hearts  should 
have  the  claim.  The  man  who  won  it  sold  it  for  one 
hundred  dollars. 

Later  on  there  were  three  thousand  dollars  taken  out 
of  those  claims. 

About  the  time  we  quitted  working  the  claims  a  black 
smith  from  San  Francisco  came  into  camp  who  had  never 
seen  a  mine  before.  The  party  whose  water  I  had  been 
afraid  of  had  ceased  to  pump  the  water,  and  the  ground 
was  dry  below  his  claim.  This  blacksmith  hired  a  man 
and  stuck  his  stakes  where  I  ought  to  have  first  stuck 
mine,  on  the  ground  that  had  been  flowed  over.  The 
man  and  his  helper  put  their  shaft  down  in  two  days 
some  eight  feet  deep.  The  blacksmith  then  discharged 
his  man,  and  in  less  than  two  weeks  from  the  time  that 


2O6  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

he  landed  in  camp  he  left  it  with  ten  thousand  dollars, 
and  having  many  nuggets  as  large  as  a  man's  fist.  He 
took  out  one  afternoon  thirteen  pounds  of  gold,  and 
brought  it  up  to  his  tent  in  his  boot,  having  picked  it  all 
out,  not  washing  a  pan  of  dirt.  One  man  washed  one 
pan  of  gravel  for  him  to  see  what  it  would  pan  out,  and 
got  one  hundred  dollars.  After  he  got  what  he  could 
pick  out  with  his  knife,  he  sold  his  claim  for  twelve  hun 
dred  dollars,  and  left  camp  for  Frisco.  This  claim  was 
near  the  creek.  Just  above  this  claim  and  in  the  banks 
of  the  creek  was  a  crevice  which  run  back  at  right  angle 
from  the  creek.  This  man's  big  strike  set  all  the  miners 
to  crowding  as  near  to  him  as  they. could.  The  result 
was  they  got  into  that  crevice  where  they  struck  paying 
dirt  to  the  tune  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  in  about  that 
number  of  feet  along  that  crevice,  and  to  my  disgust 
right  through  that  wet  hole  of  mine.  I  had  got  to  within 
one  foot  of  thousands  of  dollars,  which  were  scattered 
along  that  crevice  like  potatoes  dug  behind  a  farmer.  I 
had  reason  to  believe  "  I  was  not  in  it."  Fate  was 
against  me,  as  was  the  case  with  many  others.  The  lode 
from  which  all  this  gold  came  \vas  located  a  little  above 
the  camp,  which  was  worked  later  and  paid  its  owners 
well  ;  and  I  believe  there  were  millions  taken  out  of  it. 
One  nugget  was  taken  out  that  was  worth  twelve  thou 
sand  dollars,  and  later  was  sent  to  the  World's  Fair  in  Lon 
don.  I  had  many  other  experiences  similar  to  that  at 
Carson's  Creek,  with  opportunities  equally  as  good,  but 
which  were  lost. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  207 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ANECDOTES    ABOUT     MINERS     AND     MINING TURNS     BRIDGE- 
BUILDER A  GAMBLER    WORSTED    AT    HIS    OWN  GAME 

MEETING  WITH  WAH-KEEN,  THE  NOTORIOUS  MEXICAN  OUT 
LAW  AND  THREE-FINGERED  JACK STARTS  FOR  FRISCO 

SAILS  FOR  AUSTRALIA STOPS  AT    A   VOLCANIC  ISLAND 

A  PARLEY  WITH     THE     ISLANDERS AN     ISLAND    VISITED 

AND  DEPOPULATED    BY    SMALLPOX ARRIVAL  IN  AUSTRA 
LIA BENDAGO  AND  THE  GOLD  MINERS  OF   AUSTRALIA 

STRIKING  RICH  DIGGINGS THE    MINERS   TAX   AGITATION 

STARTS    FOR    DONKEY  WOMAN'S    GULLY LOST  IN  THE 

FOREST WONDERFUL  DISCOVERY  OF  WATER  WITH  WHICH 

TO    QUENCH  THIRST. 

BEFORE  concluding  the  narrative  of  my  experience  at 
mining  I  will  state  some  things  which  it  taught  me,  that 
may  be  of  use  to  the  novice  who  starts  out  in  search  of 
the  yellow  metal. 

Our  party  left  camp  and  located  at  a  little  place  a  short 
distance  above  Carson's,  called  Albany  Flat.  We  built  a 
cabin  for  winter  and  laid  in  supplies.  We  soon,  how 
ever,  rallied  to  a  new  strike  near  Murphy's  Camp,  and 
there  made  many  slips  again.  I  finally  left  the  company 
and  wandered  around  to  different  camps,  getting  some 
gold  in  some  camps  and  none  in  others.  It  had  got  to 
be  difficult  to  find  gold  in  every  gulch.  Many  thousands 
of  people  had  arrived  in  the  country,  and  they  had  dug 
all  that  was  easy  to  get  at,  and  it  required  a  good  deal 
of  hard  work  to  find  a  rich  shaft.  I  went  to  work  for  a 
company  who  were  building  a  flume  and  ditch  to  carry 
the  water  into  Murphy's  Camp  for  mining  purposes,  and 
I  was  to  receive  one  hundred  dollars  a  month  and  board, 


2O8  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

which  appeared  to  be  better  than  mining,  although  I  had 
left  many  a  claim  that  would  have  paid  me  one  hundred 
dollars  a  week,  had  I  have  stuck  to  them.  I  was  content 
with  my  hundred  dollars,  since  it  was  paid  to  me  in  coin, 
whose  value  I  could  realize,  while  gold  dust  or  nuggets 
did  not  appear  to  represent  much  value.  It  appeared 
like  so  much  iron,  and  not  like  money.  After  a  week  or 
two,  I  found  the  work  pretty  hard,  and  told  the  president 
—  who,  by  the  way,  was  an  old  church  builder  from  New 
York,  named  Hunford  —  that  I  would  not  stay  with  them 
any  longer.  The  work  was  harder  than  I  expected,  and 
I,  being  a  sailor,  had  to  do  a  large  amount  of  climbing, 
and  sometimes  pretty  high  climbing.  Capt.  Hunford 
said  he  did  not  want  me  to  leave,  since  I  was  the  best 
climber  he  had,  and  I  must  stay,  and  as  an  inducement 
said  that  the  company  would  give  me  thirty  dollars  a 
month  more,  making  my  pay  one  hundred  and  thirty 
dollars.  I  accepted  the  offer  and  returned  to  work.  I 
will  relate  one  part  of  the  work  that  I  was  called  upon  to 
do,  and  did  without  hesitation.  We  had  to  flume  across 
one  deep  hollow  or  depression,  which  was  thirteen  hun 
dred  feet  from  ditch  to  ditch.  Our  fluming  gradually 
gained  in  height  as  we  receded  from  the  verge  until  we 
had  advanced  about  four  hundred  feet,  when  at  that 
point  it  was  quite  seventy-five  feet  high.  Our  bents 
were  twenty  feet  span  at  the  bottom  and  four  feet  at  the 
top,  well  tied  and  braced.  The  bents  had  forty  feet  span 
between  them,  with  a  stringer  eight  by  twelve,  framed 
about  two  feet  from  the  top,  with  a  short  tie  framed  in 
between  the  two  posts,  the  same  distance  from  the  top, 
which  formed  a  sill  on  which  the  boarded  flume  rested. 
When  the  bents  were  raised  and  two  stringers  in  posi 
tion,  the  two  stringers  which  crossed  the  span  of  forty 
feet  were  four  feet  apart.  My  work  was  to  walk  from 
the  end  of  those  stringers  with  a  foothold  of  only  eight 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD. 

inches,  with  nothing  to  reach  for  in  case  of  a  slip  or  a  mis 
step  but  the  other  stringer,  which  was  of  the  same  size 
and  four  feet  distant  at  one  side.  After  I  had  reached 
the  last  span  raised,  I  would  walk  along  and  dress  off  the 
stringer  with  the  adze  every  two  feet  on  each  stringer, 
and  then  put  on  the  ties,  spike  them  and  cover  them 
with  boards,  after  which  any  one  could  pass  over  them 
without  danger. 

One  misstep  would  have  sent  me  down  from  that 
giddy  height  of  from  seventy-five  or  eighty  feet  like  a 
meteoric  stone,  and  I  would  have  been  buried  in  the 
earth.  That  span  of  fluming  was  then  considered  the 
highest  in  the  country.  After  working  about  four 
months  I  returned  to  Murphy's  Camp  and  succeeded  well 
at  mining  for  a  while,  but  soon  concluded  to  go  back  to 
my  old  camp  at  Albany  Flat. 

Before  leaving  this  camp  I  broke  a  gambler  of  the 
habit  of  continuously  making  overtures  to  me  to  bet  at 
his  game,  having  become  tired  of  being  teased  to  bet 
every  time  I  went  near  his  table.  I  boarded  with  a 
Chinaman,  who  kept  a  little  dining-saloon  opposite  the 
gambler's  tent.  There  was  not  much  doing  in  the  day 
time  at  the  gambler's  tables,  since  the  miners  were  at 
work,  but  at  night  things  were  all  in  full  blast.  The 
day  before  I  was  going  to  leave  camp  I  gave  this  man  a 
dose  of  his  own  medicine.  Having  a  bag  of  gold  dust, 
which  contained  about  four  hundred  dollars,  I  went  and 
bought  another  bag  of  the  same  size  and  lead  in 
bulk  to  be  about  the  size  of  the  gold.  I  placed  it  in  the 
sack  and  rolled  it  up  into  a  round  ball  to  look  like  my 
bag  of  gold,  then  I  bought  two  silk  handkerchiefs  of  the 
same  pattern  and  wrapped  one  snugly  around  each  bag 
of  metal.  Putting  the  bag  of  gold  into  my  breast  pocket 
and  the  bag  of  lead  also,  and  taking  care  to  get  the  lead 
to  the  bottom  of  the  pocket,  I  went  to  my  friend  the 


2IO  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

Chinaman  and  said,  "  Let  us  go  over  to  the  gambling 
tent  and  see  what  is  going  on." 

"  All  right,"  said  he,  and  we  started. 

My  tormentor  began  asking  me  at  once  to  bet. 

He  happened  to  be  alone  as  I  expected  he  would, 
which  was  the  reason  for  taking  my  dusky  friend  along, 
for  should  I  make  a  blunder  and  encounter  trouble  there 
would,  no  doubt,  be  some  tall  shooting,  and  I  thought 
that  the  Chinaman  might  perhaps  be  able  to  tell  where 
my  scattered  remains  might  be  found.  I  always  thought 
a  gambler  next  in  kin  to  a  thief,  and  I  felt  no  qualms 
in  what  I  was  about  to  do,  knowing  that  he  purposed 
cheating  me  if  he  could. 

He  laid  out  his  cards  and  invited  me  to  make  a  bet. 
Taking  out  my  bag  of  gold  I  unrolled  it,  pouring  into  my 
hand  some  of  the  yellow  dust,  and  asked  him  what  he 
would  give  me  an  ounce  for  such  gold.  He  said  that 
if  I  lost,  he  would  allow  me  sixteen  dollars  for  it. 
Putting  it  back  I  rolled  and  tied  it  as  before,  and  in  re 
turning  it  to  my  pocket  got  it  to  the  bottom  and  the  lead 
on  top.  It  was  quite  common  for  miners  betting, 
when  they  had  no  change,  to  put  their  bag  of  dust  down ; 
and  if  they  lost,  they  were  able  to  redeem  the  gold  again 
if  they  wished  to  later  on. 

After  the  gambler's  repeated  invitations  to  bet,  I  pulled 
out  my  bag  of  lead  and  laid  it  down  on  the  queen,  which 
was  out  against  some  other  card.  I  bet  half  an  ounce  on 
that  card.  He  won,  and  I  doubled  the  bet  to  one  ounce, 
when  I  won.  Returning  my  bag  to  my  pocket  again,  I 
bet  with  his  own  money  without  fear.  Soon  losing  that, 
I  drew  forth  my  sack  of  lead  again  and  won.  Hiding  my 
sack  again,  I  bet  his  money  a  second  time.  I  soon 
saw  that  the  queen  appeared  to  come  oftener  than  it 
ought  to  in  a  fair  deal,  so  kept  betting  on  the  queen, 
which  kept  winning  for  me.  By  this  time  my  little  stake 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  2  I  I 

was  up  to  seventy  dollars,  and  my  friend  with  the  pig 
tail  nudged  me  and  said,  "Stop  now,  you  have  got 
enough."  I  took  his  advice  and  quit  the  game  seventy 
dollars  ahead. 

The  gambler  showed  considerable  temper  because  I 
stopped  betting,  but  I  left  the  tent  and  was  not  long  in 
putting  the  evidence  of  my  duplicity  far  beyond  his 
reach,  knowing  well  that  if  he  should  learn  the  secret  of 
the  bag  of  bogus  gold,  he  would  be  apt  to  use  as  much 
lead  as  that  bag  contained  for  my  especial  benefit. 

I  did  not  leave  camp  for  a  few  days,  since  it  was  not 
urgent  that  I  should,  as  would  have  been  the  case  had  I 
lost  at  the  game.  I  intended  to  tell  the  fellow,  had  I 
lost,  that  I  would  redeem  the  gold  in  a  day  or  two,  and 
when  the  time  arrived  to  redeem,  would  have  been  many 
a  long  mile  from  Murphy's  Camp.  Within  a  week  I 
turned  again  to  Albany  Flat  and  went  to  work  with  two 
of  my  old  camp-mates.  Not  many  days  afterward  a  man 
whom  one  of  my  old  company  was  acquainted  with  came 
over  from  a  camp  called  St.  Andrays.  He  said  that  a 
big  strike  had  just  been  made  in  that  camp,  so  as  a  matter 
of  course  we  went  over.  We  found  that  the  big  strike  had 
been  made  in  the  bed  of  an  old  creek  whose  waters  had 
been  crowded  out  by  some  ancient  lava  flow  in  the  same 
manner  Table  Mountain  had  been  formed.  We  found  the 
gold  in  a  bed  of  cement  some  four  inches  thick,  and  it 
had  to  be  hammered  to  powder  before  we  could  get  the 
gold,  and  to  work  it  successfully  it  would  require  ma 
chinery  such  as  we  were  not  able  to  furnish,  and  we 
gave  up. 

One  experience  at  this  time,  had  I  been  successful, 
would  have  put  me  on  the  top  round  of  the  ladder,  be 
sides  netting  me  many  thousand  dollars,  or  it  might  have 
wiped  me  out  of  existence.  It  was  my  experience  with 
that  outlaw  and  desperado  Wah-Keen,  a  Mexican  whose 


212  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

very  name  was  a  terror  to  every  one,  from  the  sheriff 
down. 

He  was  said  to  have  been  once  a  quiet,  inoffensive 
miner  in  a  camp  in  the  northern  mines,  where  his  wife 
was  with  him.  The  camp,  like  all  others,  was  filled  with 
ruffians.  They  kidnapped  Wah-Keen's  wife,  and  abused 
her  so  badly  that  she  died.  Many  of  the  Mexicans  are 
very  revengeful,  and  Wah-Keen,  after  this  outrage,  swore 
death  to  all  whites ;  and  it  is  proven  in  the  archives  of 
California  how  well  he  kept  his  oath. 

The  day  before  my  arrival  at  that  camp  was  Sunday. 
Wah-Keen  had  come  into  the  outskirts  of  the  town  and  had 
entered  a  gambler's  tent  that  was  run  by  some  half-breed 
Mexicans.  Wah-Keen  had  some  eight  or  ten  of  his  fol 
lowers  with  him,  and  attempted  to  clean  out  the  place  at 
one  scoop.  The  result  was  some  target  practice  wherein 
Wah-Keen  lost  all  but  two  companions,  who  fled  to  the 
hills.  The  sheriff  turned  out  with  a  posse,  but  could  not 
find  him.  He  had  tried  several  times  before,  but  either 
could  not  or  would  not  take  him  when  he  came  up  with 
him. 

Wah-Keen  had  walked  through  the  camp  in  mid-day 
shooting  right  and  left,  while  no  one  dared  to  take  him  or 
even  to  follow  unless  they  had  a  posse  of  a  score  or  more 
well-armed  men.  On  Saturday  afternoon  my  partners  and 
myself  were  at  work  on  the  trail  that  ran  through  the  flat 
and  down  to  Carson's  Creek.  About  four  o'clock  we  saw 
three  Mexicans  ride  past.  After  they  had  passed,  I  said, 
"Who  knows  but  that  was  Wah-Keen  and  two  of  his  gang  ?  " 
but  thought  no  more  of  them.  Sunday  morning  a  man 
came  up  from  Carson's  Creek  and  said  that  W^ah-Keen  had 
been  at  a  little  store  on  the  creek  the  night  before  and 
bought  some  food.  I  told  my  partners  that  those  three 
men  that  we  saw  the  night  before  were  Wah-Keen  and  two 
of  his  companions,  and  we  had  better  go  at  once  and  see  if 


SEVENTEEN -YEAR- OLD    LAD.  2  1 3 

we  could  not  catch  them.  They  said  Wah-Keen  must  be 
forty  miles  away  before  that  time.  Saying  no  more,  I  took 
my  rifle  and  started  to  strike  the  trail  where  we  last  saw 
them,  which  I  soon  found.  I  followed  it  over  the  brow 
of  the  hill  and  down  to  Carson's  Creek  near  its  head, 
where  the  creek  forked,  one  branch  running  to  the  right 
and  the  other  straight  ahead.  Reaching  the  creek,  I  met 
a  man  who  lived  on  the  bank  of  the  creek,  and  asked 
him  if  he  had  seen  any  Mexicans  around  that  morning. 
He  said  that  he  had,  and  that  one  had  passed  up  on  the 
opposite  side  only  about  ten  minutes  since.  I  crossed 
over  and  soon  struck  the  trail,  and  following  the  marks 
up  found  that  they  turned  up  the  right-hand  branch  of 
the  creek.  Following  on  I  got  near  the  top,  where  the 
branch  terminated  in  a  narrow  ravine,  there  losing  the 
tracks.  Going  up  on  to  the  ridge  about  fifty  feet  higher, 
I  began  to  look  around  to  find  the  tracks  again,  and  soon 
discovered  a  man  with  a  rifle  in  his  hands,  who  was 
hunting  for  small  game. 

I  asked  if  he  had  seen  any  Mexicans  that  morning,  to 
which  he  replied  that  he  had  seen  one  at  the  lower  end 
of  that  ride  but  a  short  time  before  I  met  him.  I  then 
started  in  the  direction  he  pointed,  and  had  not  gone 
many  rods  before  I  could  see  out  and  down  on  to  a  flat 
and  open  space  of  several  acres  in  extent.  There  in 
plain  view,  and  not  more  than  ten  rods  away,  were  two 
Mexicans  on  horseback.  I  knew  that  they  were  Wah- 
Keen  and  Three-fingered  Jack,  as  he  was  called,  a  half- 
breed  who  was  about  as  great  a  desperado  as  Wah-Keen. 
I  hurried  down  the  trail,  and  when  it  was  reached  they  had 
got  through  the  open  space  and  were  out  of  my  sight, 
but  not  far  off.  I  pushed  on  into  the  thick  bushes 
that  lined  both  sides  of  the  trail,  and  soon  came  to  a 
little  tent,  at  the  entrance  of  which  was  a  man  sitting. 
Repeating  my  question  to  him  about  the  Mexicans,  he  said 


214  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

that  he  had,  not  five  minutes  before.  When  told  who  they 
were,  he  jumped  up  and  said  he  would  go  with  me  and 
help  take  them.  He  had  been  in  the  Mexican  War  and 
was  not  afraid  of  any  greaser,  as  half  Indian  and  half 
Mexicans  were  called.  I  told  him  that  he  might  go 
if  he  wanted  to,  but  that  they  were  ugly  fellows  to 
handle. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "I  am  not  afraid  of  them" ;  and  stick 
ing  a  little  single-barrel  pistol  in  his  belt,  we  started  on. 

After  we  had  got  some  five  or  six  rods,  I  found  that 
through  talking  with  him  I  had  lost  the  tracks  of  the 
horses'  feet.  We  left  the  trail  and  tried  to  find  the  tracks 
again.  Not  far  from  the  trail  we  met  a  man  with  a  shot 
gun  who  was  hunting  for  quail,  and  while  talking  with 
this  man,  we  saw  a  Mexican  coming  up  through  the  flat. 
He  had  on  a  poncho  blanket,  which  is  a  square  cloth 
with  a  slit  in  the  centre.  This  is  thrown  over  the  head, 
and  will  hang  down  and  nearly  cover  the  wearer  to  the 
knees.  This  Mexican  had  a  slouch  hat  well  down  over 
his  face,  but  we  thought  nothing  of  seeing  him. 

I  said  to  my  new  friend,  "Let  us  go  back  and  hunt 
until  we  strike  the  tracks,  and  try  and  not  lose  them 
again."  We  did  so,  and  soon  found  the  horses'  tracks 
again.  We  soon  found  where  they  left  the  trail,  and  fol 
lowed  them  into  a  clump  of  bushes  and  a  few  small  trees 
on  a  space  not  over  one  or  two  rods  square.  When  we 
got  up  to  this  little  clump  of  bushes,  we  saw  only  a  few 
rods  beyond  Wah-Keen  and  his  mate  on  horseback  riding 
slowly  up  a  little  ravine.  I  said,  "  There  they  are,  now 
we  will  have  them !  "  and  started  after  them.  Approach 
ing  them  I  noticed  they  held  their  heads  so  that  they 
could  see  sideways,  and  as  I  was  gaining  upon  them  from 
the  side,  soon  got  into  the  trail  behind  them,  but  found 
that  they  managed  somehow  to  see  behind  as  well  as 
sideways.  When  they  got  to  the  upper  end  of  the  ravine, 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  215 

which  was  not  more  than  five  or  six  rods  long,  and  where 
stood  a  pine-tree  about  twenty  inches  through,  Wah-Keen 
got  off  his  horse  and  stepped  behind  that  tree,  where  he 
was  completely  hid  from  me.  Three-fingered  Jack  re 
mained  sitting  on  his  horse,  with  one  hand  holding  the 
bridle  and  the  other  placed  under  the  lapel  of  his  coat. 
He  had  on  a  heavy  coat  buttoned  down  in  front. 

I  well  knew  that  his  hand  had  a  firm  grasp  on  a  navy 
revolver,  and  also  knew  that  he  would  draw  it  at  first 
sign  of  danger  from  me.  Being  a  pretty  good  shot  at 
that  time,  and  able  to  strike  the  head  from  a  bird  about 
as  far  as  able  to  see  one  either  on  the  wing  or  at  rest, 
I  felt  pretty  sure  of  toppling  over  one  of  them,  and 
would  have  trusted  to  luck  and  chance  for  my  companion 
to  deal  with  the  other  one.  I  walked  fearlessly  up  to  the 
tree  behind  which  Wah-Keen  was  concealed,  and  stepped 
in  front  of  him. 

Wah-Keen  straightened  up  from  a  stooping  position,  and 
speaking  to  him  in  Spanish,  —  since  I  could  speak  that 
language  to  some  extent,  —  said,  "How  do  you  do, 
friend?" 

"  Very  well,"  said  he. 

Stating  that  I  had  lost  a  horse  and  was  out  hunting  for 
him,  I  described  the  animal  as  having  a  white  star  on  his 
forehead,  two  white  feet,  a  long  tail  and  mane,  and  so  on. 
He  said  that  he  was  hunting  for  horses  himself;  which 
without  doubt  was  true,  since  he  stole  all  the  horses  that 
he  wanted,  but  said  he  had  not  seen  any  horse  such  as  I 
described. 

The  two  horses  he  and  his  companion  had  then  were 
stolen  from  the  Green  Stage  Company,  and  were  two  of 
the  best  the  company  owned.  Wah-Keen  never  took  a 
poor  horse,  but  always  chose  the  best,  since  they  were 
all  the  same  price  to  him. 

Turning  my  back  to  them  several  times,  I  cast  my  eyes 


2l6  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

over  the  hills  to  see  if  that  horse  was  to  be  seen,  and  by 
that  means  gave  them  a  chance  to  fill  me  with  bullets  if 
they  chose  to,  believing  that  my  boldness  would  disarm 
them  of  suspicion.  I  noticed  that  my  brave  friend  had 
stopped  some  ten  yards  behind,  and  I  went  down  to  him 
and  said,  "  Now  you  take  one  and  I  will  take  the  other." 
The  brave  veteran  of  the  late  Mexican  War,  who  was  so 
courageous  a  short  time  before,  was  so  frightened  he 
could  hardly  speak,  and  I  saw  that  if  there  was  to  be  a 
capture,  I  should  have  to  do  the  work  alone.  Knowing 
that  the  time  had  passed  to  make  the  attempt  alone,  I 
decided  quickly  what  to  do,  and  concluded  to  get  the 
fellow  out  of  sight  and  into  more  congenial  climate  before 
he  gave  the  outlaws  a  cue,  which  he  seemed  in  a  fair  way 
to  do.  When  I  told  him  to  take  one  while  I  did  for  the 
other,  he  managed  to  say  that  they  were  too  well  armed 
and  that  we  could  not  do  it.  I  therefore  told  him  to  go 
around  to  Albany  Flat  and  notify  the  camp,  where  they 
would  find  me  entertaining  Wah-Keen  and  Three-fingered 
Jack.  He  started  off  without  any  urging,  and  took  a  large 
circuit  around  the  objects  that  had  made  such  a  sudden 
change  in  his  courage.  Returning  to  where  Wah-Keen 
was  standing,  he  mounted  his  horse  and  they  rode  slowly 
along,  while  I  walked  along  by  their  side,  and  we  soon 
came  to  a  clump  of  scrub  oaks  and  underbrush  which 
covered  about  an  acre.  Here  the  two  desperadoes  went 
to  the  right  while  I  took  to  the  left,  walking  slowly  along, 
since  I  did  not  wish  it  to  appear  that  I  intended  to  keep 
too  close  company  with  them.  It  only  took  some  four  or 
five  minutes  to  get  around  to  where  they  were  to  be  seen, 
and,  to  my  surprise  when  I  did  see  them,  they  were  going 
as  fast  as  their  horses  could  carry  them  in  a  direct  line 
toward  Albany  Camp,  and  were  some  two  hundred  yards 
in  advance  of  me.  I  could  have  shot  one  of  them  down 
with  my  rifle,  but  hesitated  to  shoot  one  who  had  done 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD. 


2I7 


2l8  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

me  no  harm,  but  undoubtedly  I  would  have  been  justified 
in  doing  so.  I  very  soon  saw  the  object  that  had 
caused  their  hasty  flight.  There  were  eight  or  ten  men 
coming  across  the  flat  from  the  direction  of  Los  Mortes, 
a  little  camp  which  was  located  between  Albany  Flat  and 
Angel's  Camp.  Hearing  that  Wah-Keen  had  been  to  Los 
Mortes  for  food,  they  started  to  hunt  for  him  and  had  just 
caught  sight  of  him  as  he  was  passing  along  by  that  clump 
of  timber.  As  soon  as  they  caught  sight  of  him,  they  all 
began  to  halloo  and  run  toward  him,  which  started 
Wah-Keen  and  his  mate  on  the  gallop. 

Going  direct  to  Albany  Flat,  I  found  every  one  run 
ning  hither  and  yon,  some  riding  on  jacks  without  saddle 
or  bridle,  others  on  mules  destitute  of  trappings,  while 
others  were  running  about  with  pistols  and  rifles  in  their 
hands.  My  two  partners  had  stayed  at  home,  standing 
near  our  cabin  with  rifles  in  hand.  Wah-Keen  had  passed 
within  two  rods  of  our  camp,  but  went  so  fast  that  before 
they  could  get  out  with  their  guns,  he  was  far  away  and 
out  of  sight  over  the  ridge  on  a  trail  leading  toward  Bear 
Mountain. 

The  man  I  sent  around  to  camp  told  the  boys  that  he 
went  up  to  Wah-Keen  and  shook  hands  with  him,  while 
I  told  them  that  he  went  too  far  into  his  boots  to  do  that, 
since  he  hardly  got  near  enough  to  see  him,  let  alone 
shake  hands  with  him. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  I  felt  very  much  disappointed 
with  the  manner  in  which  my  venture  had  terminated. 
Starting  out  with  the  determination  to  find  the  outlaws, 
and  to  capture  them  also,  I  believe  I  would  have  been 
successful  but  for  my  cowardly  volunteer  companion.  I 
would  not  have  lost  the  tracks,  and  would  have  been  led 
by  them  to  the  little  clump  of  bushes  where  Three-fin 
gered  Jack  was  with  the  two  horses,  while  Wah-Keen  was 
at  the  camp  of  Los  Mortes  after  supplies.  I  could  have 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  219 

made  Jack  hold  up  and  have  disarmed  and  gagged  him, 
and  then  laid  in  hiding  for  Wah-Keen  and  served  him  in 
the  same  manner  ;  then  bound  them  together  and  hitched 
them  to  their  horses  and  led  them  into  camp,  which  was 
not  an  uncommon  way  of  caring  for  captives. 

There  was  a  large  reward  offered  for  them,  but  that 
was  no  great  incentive.  The  honor  of  taking  them  alone 
would  have  been  something  worth  while,  since  the 
sheriff  could  not  take  them  when  he  had  a  posse  with 
him. 

The  next  day  a  man  was  brought  into  camp  whom  they 
thought  was  Wah-Keen,  and  I  was  sent  for  to  identify  him. 
Seeing  the  prisoner,  I  told  them  that  it  might  be  Wah- 
Keen's  brother,  but  it  was  not  the  man  they  wanted ;  but 
the  next  day  the  fellow  was  found  hanging  to  the  limb  of 
a  tree,  it  being  thought  that  he  was  one  of  the  gang,  so  he 
was  disposed  of.  He  was  undoubtedly  Wah-Keen's 
brother,  more  half  foolish  than  otherwise,  and  ought  not 
to  have  been  hung. 

A  few  years  later  on,  Wah-Keen,  in  trying  to  leave  the 
State,  passed  into  a  camp  of  United  States  soldiers,  where 
one  of  the  soldiers  recognized  him  and  sung  out,  "Wah- 
Keen  ! "  when  shooting  began,  and  Wah-Keen  was  killed, 
and  his  head  was  put  on  exhibition  for  a  while  in  San 
Francisco. 

About  three  weeks  later  I  started  for  Frisco,  having 
heard  a  good  deal  about  the  wonderful  gold  fields  in  Aus 
tralia.  I  concluded  to  go  back  to  the  country  again 
which  I  had  tried  so  hard  to  leave  a  few  years  previous, 
although  I  was  doubtful  of  the  fields  being  so  very  rich, 
as  there  was  but  one  nugget  found  while  I  was  in  the 
country  before,  and  apparently  there  were  no  more  nug 
gets  where  that  came  from.  I  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
in  due  time,  and  soon  found  a  boat  for  Sydney  and  paid 
my  passage  to  that  city,  leaving  California  for  a  time,  to 


22O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

return  again  before  two  years  passed  by,  after  varying  for 
tunes  in  the  land  of  the  antipodes. 

We  sailed  out  through  the  Golden  Gate  with  flying 
colors,  and  after  being  out  about  three  weeks  the  small 
pox  broke  out  on  board,  and  some  half-dozen  or  more 
were  severely  attacked  by  the  disease.  All  recovered  by 
the  time  we  reached  an  island  called  Tanner  or  Tenna. 
We  needed  some  fresh  food  and  water,  so  the  captain 
made  a  stop  to  get  a  supply  of  yams,  fruit,  and  pigs.  On 
the  island  a  volcano  was  at  that  time  in  active  operation, 
discharging  a  large  amount  of  lava.  We  dropped  anchor 
about  three  miles  off  coast,  and  a  boat  was  sent  ashore. 
We  noticed  that  the  natives  took  the  boat  as  soon  as  we 
were  all  out,  and  dragged  her  high  up  on  the  beach. 
We  wanted  to  know  why  they  did  so.  Pointing  to  the 
water,  they  said,  "  Hot,  hot."  Putting  my  hand  into  the 
water,  I  found  it  too  hot  to  bear  my  hand  in  it  long. 

After 'we  had  been  ashore  a  short  time  the  tide  had 
ebbed,  and  we  noticed  a  few  rods  above  a  large  stream  of 
water  which  was  gushing  out  through  a  hole  near  a  point  of 
rocks.  A  large  cloud  of  steam  was  rising  above  it.  We 
found  the  stream  to  be  a  hot  spring,  which  was  covered 
several  feet  deep  when  the  tide  was  in.  The  water  from 
the  spring  and  the  heat  along  the  shore  at  the  base  of 
that  volcano  heated  the  water  so  hot  that  nothing  in  the 
form  of  fish  could  live  within  three  miles  of  shore. 

It  has  been  related  of  this  locality  by  some  writer  that 
a  man  can  stand  at  a  certain  point  and  catch  fish  on  one  side 
and  throw  them  over  into  the  hot  water  on  the  other  side  and 
cook  them,  without  releasing  them  from  the  hook.  Now  if 
it  were  said  that  fish  could  be  caught  anywhere  in  the  bay 
already  cooked  and  ready  for  the  table,  I  might  perhaps 
have  believed  him,  but  the  other  story  is  beyond  belief. 
The  saying  may  be  true  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  near 
Yellowstone  Park,  but  is  not  applicable  at  this  island. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  221 

This  is  the  only  hot  spring  on  the  island.  In  the  side  of 
a  cliff  of  rocks  is  another  spring,  which  flows  very  slowly, 
requiring  an  hour  or  more  to  furnish  enough  water  to 
give  a  man  or  dog  a  small  drink.  The  water  from  this 
spring  is  very  cold  and  pure,  while  the  hot  spring  has  a 
large  amount  of  sulphur.  We  were  obliged  to  take  that 
or  none  to  fill  our  casks  with  for  the  ship's  use.  Being 
anxious  to  know  how  long  that  water  would  keep  hot,  I 
filled  a  keg,  took  it  on  board,  and  put  my  tea  into  a  pot, 
poured  my  hot  water  on  to  it,  and  made  a  good  strong  cup 
of  tea  without  putting  it  near  the  fire.  Some  of  the 
passengers  took  tubs  ashore  to  wash  some  linen,  and  had 
to  let  the  water  stand  in  the  tubs  two  hours  before  it  was 
cool  enough  for  them  to  put  their  hands  into  it.  When 
we  got  to  sea  we  found  our  water  hardly  fit  to  use.  There 
were  several  places  around  the  rocky  shore  of  the  island 
where  the  fire  could  be  seen  leaping  through  the  crevices. 
We  could  light  a  pipe  from  them,  and  at  other  points  large 
volumes  of  steam  were  issuing.  The  natives  and  the  few 
whites  on  the  island  drank  cocoanut  milk  when  thirsty. 
The  taste  when  the  nut  is  about  half  ripe  is  something  like 
ginger  ale.  The  island  appeared  to  have  many  old  craters, 
then  sealed  up,  and  seen  at  a  distance  large  beds  and  cliffs 
of  shining  lava  were  visible  that  apparently  had  cooled  off 
at  no  very  remote  date.  The  vent  that  was  in  full  blast 
was  throwing  out  large  quantities  of  material.  I  noticed 
one  day  while  looking  at  it  that  we  would  first  see  a  large 
volume  of  black  smoke  and  hear  a  loud  report,  and  after 
the  smoke  had  arisen  about  a  hundred  feet  above  the  top 
of  the  cone  up  would  come  streams  of  fire,  lava,  and 
stones,  which  shot  up  several  hundred  feet.  The  large 
rocks  would  return  and  come  crashing  down  the  sides  of 
the  cone.  We  saw  one  rock  thrown  high  into  the  air 
that  looked  to  be  twenty  feet  long  and  five  or  six  feet 
thick.  We  were  about  three  miles  distant  at  that  time. 


222  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

One  day  we  came  near  having  trouble  with  the 
natives.  Three  of  our  passengers  went  ashore  to  take 
a  bath  in  the  warm  water  that  washed  the  beach. 
Stripping  off  their  clothing,  they  plunged  in,  and  after 
getting  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  shore,  two  natives 
slipped  out  of  the  bushes  and  gathered  in  the  swimmers' 
clothing  and  scampered  back  into  the  thick  entangled 
bushes.  The  swimmers  paddled  ashore  as  fast  as  they 
could,  but  the  natives  had  got  far  away  by  that  time. 
They  found  it  was  no  use  to  follow  the  thieves  in  the  con 
dition  that  they  were  in,  as,  not  being  used  to  the  bushes, 
they  would  have  fared  badly  among  the  sharp  thorns. 
They  followed  the  beach  until  they  could  see  the  ship, 
and  then  began  to  halloo  and  beckon  to  us  to  come 
ashore.  A  boat  was  soon  sent  to  them.  The  poor  fellows 
had  not  so  much  as  a  leaf  to  protect  them  from  the  burn- 
ing  sun,  but  we  soon  had  them  on  board  and  dressed. 
One  of  the  bathers  said  that  he  had  three  hundred 
dollars  in  his  pocket.  The  captain  sent  word  ashore  to 
the  natives  that  he  would  come  ashore  and  fight  them  if 
they  did  not  give  up  the  gold  and  clothing,  to  which  they 
replied,  "  Come  on!"  The  captain  mustered  about  forty 
of  the  passengers  and  when  ashore. 

The  beach  at  the  landing  was  about  a  hundred  yards 
wide,  then  a  bluff  or  sand  bank  rose  up  nearly  prependic- 
ular  about  twenty  feet  high,  then  the  ground  ran  back 
eight  or  ten  rods  quite  level  and  was  clear  of  underbrush 
or  any  other  material  that  would  obstruct  the  natives' 
movements.  A  deep  cut  had  been  worn  down  through 
this  sand  bank  by  constant  travel,  which  was  the  only 
accessible  point  to  the  flat  above.  It  was  not  wide 
enough  to  admit  two  abreast ;  we  would,  therefore,  have 
to  pass  up  in  single  file.  This  spot  had  been  chosen  by 
the  natives  as  their  battle  ground.  The  fine  generalship 
of  the  natives  in  selecting  this  locality  for  the  reception 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  223 

of  the  captain  and  his  followers  is  readily  seen,  as  they 
could  pick  us  off  one  at  a  time  at  their  leisure.  After 
we  landed,  the  captain  asked  who  would  go  up  there  with 
him.  He  used  to  boast  a  good  deal  on  the  passage  that 
he  was  an  ancient  Briton,  and  it  would  take  a  good  deal 
to  frighten  him.  I  always  admired  a  brave  man,  so  con 
sidered  it  an  honor  to  follow  one,  and,  therefore,  stepped 
out  and  said,  "  I  will  go  with  you,  Captain." 

"  Come  on  then,"  he  answered,  and  we  started  for  the 
ravine,  the  captain  leading  up  the  trail,  with  me  close  to 
his  heels.  When  we  reached  the  top  and  could  see  over 
the  flat,  we  found  before  us  some  five  hundred  savage 
natives  armed  and  stripped  of  all  robes  except  a  breech- 
clout.  They  had  seen  us  at  the  same  time  we  discovered 
them.  Some  had  spears,  others  bows,  and  still  others 
old  muskets,  secured  from  a  few  Englishmen  on  the 
island,  who  were  trading  with  the  natives  for  sandalwood, 
sulphur,  and  cocoanut  oil,  the  natives  having  taken  the 
old  flint-lock  muskets  in  exchange  for  their  products. 
The  natives  confronted  us  with  these  old  guns  as  soon  as 
we  got  high  enough  to  view  the  situation,  when  the 
captain  halted. 

"Go  ahead,"  said  I.  "Don't  stop  here!"  But  my 
bold  Briton  would  not  advance  another  step.  I  saw  that 
the  temperature  around  the  captain  was  getting  rather 
chilly,  and  his  knees  were  beginning  to  shake,  so  I  pushed 
by  him  on  to  the  flat. 

The  captain  said,  "  For  heaven's  sake  don't  go  up 
there,  they  will  surely  kill  us." 

The  natives  were  brandishing  their  weapons  and  going 
through  all  sorts  of  pantomimic  performances,  —  a  display 
which  was  enough  to  frighten  any,  except  an  ancient 
Briton,  nearly  to  death,  and  they  could  not  be  scared 
whatever  the  danger.  About  that  time  the  captain  for 
got  something  which  he  had  left  at  the  boat ;  possibly  it 


224  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

was  a  little  of  that  ancient  Welsh  courage.  He  retreated 
rapidly,  making  three  steps  to  the  rod,  while  I  went  on 
and  was  soon  surrounded  with  the  natives.  Finding  that 
some  of  them  could  talk  a  little  English,  I  told  them  that 
all  we  wanted  was  the  money,  and  that  it  was  of  no  use 
to  them,  and  if  they  would  give  it  up  we  would  give  them 
some  tobacco  and  some  calico.  After  much  talk  some  four 
or  five  of  the  head  ones  returned  with  me  to  the  boat,  where 
the  captain  was  about  ready  to  shove  off.  When  he  saw 
me  yet  alive  and  no  spears  or  arrows  sticking  in  me, 
he  appeared  much  relieved.  Taking  my  dusky  followers 
to  the  boat,  I  told  the  captain  that  if  he  would  give  the 
natives  a  little  tobacco  and  some  other  truck,  which  the 
captain  finally  did,  they  would  give  back  the  clothing  and 
some  of  the  money,  a  part  of  which  they  stated  that 
they  had  lost.  Thus  ended  the  prospective  great  battle. 

There  were  a  few  missionaries  on  the  island,  with  whom 
our  men  mixed  freely,  as  also  with  the  natives  and  what 
few  whites  there  were  on  the  island.  There  were  also 
a' few  little  schooners  trading  around  the  different  islands. 

Our  visit  to  Tanner  Island  was  a  disastrous  event  for 
the  natives.  Vessels  that  later  stopped  at  Tanner  Island 
found  it  almost  depopulated.  The  natives  had  taken  the 
germs  of  the  smallpox  from  our  ship,  and  it  had  swept 
from  the  island  nearly  all  of  our  late  dusky  friends.  Our 
visit  at  Tanner  Island  was  in  the  year  1853. 

Many  years  later,  in  1892,  I  saw  in  a  Boston  paper  that 
some  captain  while  sailing  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  discovered 
an  island  with  many  human  skeletons  scattered  around, 
but  not  a  living  soul  on  the  island.  After  reading  the 
article,  I  remembered  the  calamity  on  Tanner  Island.  The 
paper  said  that  it  was  thought  the  bones  had  lain  bare  for 
forty  years,  which  would  tally  well  with  the  time  of  the 
smallpox  there. 

It   probably  was    the    case   that   when    it   was    found 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  225 

disease  was  sweeping  the  inhabitants  off  at  a  frightful 
rate,  the  few  whites  on  the  island  took  to  their  boats  and 
left,  taking  as  many  natives  as  they  could  convey  in  the 
small  boats  or  schooners  with  them  ;  and  knowing  of 
many  small  uninhabited  islands,  it  is  natural  they  should 
sail  for  some  of  them,  and  after  such  arrival  the  disease 
may  have  broken  out  and  carried  them  off  to  a  man. 
There  are  many  islands  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  located  far 
from  the  track  of  ships,  which  are  only  seen  by  some 
chance  vessel  that  has  strayed  from  the  usual  course. 

We  obtained  the  supplies  we  required  at  Tanner 
Island  and  sailed  for  Sydney.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
harbor  of  Sydney,  the  health  department  overhauled  us  ; 
and  when  they  learned  that  the  smallpox  had  been 
aboard,  we  were  ordered  into  quarantine,  where  we  lay 
one  month,  all  being  as  uneasy  as  fish  out  of  water.  We 
then  had  no  smallpox  aboard,  but  having  had  it,  we 
were  obliged  to  obey  orders.  We  finally  outlived  our 
waiting  time  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  and  hove  anchor 
and  sailed  into  Sydney,  where  we  were  soon  let  loose,  and 
each  one  went  his  way  rejoicing. 

The  city  seemed  much  the  same  place  that  I  left  it  a 
few  years  before.  Going  up  Pitt  Street  no  change  was 
visible,  except  that  it  took  a  little  more  money  to  get 
about  with  than  when  I  was  there  before.  Strange  to 
relate,  I  had  no  more  money  to  spend  now  than  when 
leaving  the  country,  although  I  had  dug  many  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  gold  in  California,  but  it  had  rapidly 
passed  out  of  my  hands.  The  best  part  of  the  country 
for  mining  was  at  Bendago,  a  camp  located  about  eighty 
miles  inland  from  Melbourne,  at  Port  Philip,  and  to  get  to 
Melbourne  would  cost  from  eight  to  ten  dollars,  —  an 
amount  which  I  did  not  possess.  To  raise  that  stake  I 
shipped  in  a  coaster  which  ran  from  Sydney  to  Newcastle 
for  coal,  hay,  and  other  truck,  my  wages  being  twenty 
dollars  a  month. 


226  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

Going  aboard,  I  was  soon  afloat  again.  We  ran  down 
the  coast  and  up  into  a  river  almost  to  the  head  of  the 
stream,  where  we  found  the  little  town  of  Newcastle.  We 
hauled  alongside  of  a  small  wharf  at  about  mid-day,  and 
sat  down  on  deck  and  ate  our  dinner.  While  thus  occu 
pied  a  man  jumped  on  to  our  deck  from  the  wharf  and 
was  crossing  to  a  little  craft  which  lay  alongside  of  us. 
Looking  steadily  at  him  caused  him  to  return  the  gaze. 
We  were  old  friends,  and  the  recognition  was  mutual.  It 
was  the  third  mate  of  the  old  bark  "  Kingston,"  of  Fair 
Haven,  from  which  I  ran  away  while  at  Hobartstown  in 
1846,  Capt.  Ellis,  commander.  My  old  friend  told  me 
that  soon  after  I  left  the  captain  sold  what  oil  he  had  taken 
and  gave  the  bark  over  to  the  first  mate.  The  captain, 
with  the  money  he  received,  then  bought  two  small  ves 
sels,  putting  the  third  mate  in  charge  of  one,  and 
taking  charge  of  the  other  himself,  and  began  trad 
ing  between  Sydney  and  the  islands  near  by.  On 
one  trip  to  the  islands  Capt.  Ellis,  while  running  into 
Ongalon  and  going  through  a  narrow  passage  which  led 
through  one  of  the  coral  reefs  which  abound  among 
the  islands,  having  got  a  little  too  much  tanglefoot 
down,  managed  to  tumble  overboard  and  was  drowned. 
The  third  mate,  coming  into  possession  of  the  other  craft, 
thought  he  would  keep  her  and  do  some  trading  on  his 
own  account.  He  had  taken  unto  himself  a  wife,  and 
had  become  a  resident  of  Sydney  and  was  happy. 

We  took  in  a  load  of  coal  and  left  for  Sydney,  where  I 
was  paid  off  and  was  soon  on  board  of  a  brig  bound  for 
Melbourne,  where  we  arrived  in  two  weeks.  After  land 
ing  I  was  soon  on  my  way  afoot  to  the  Bendago  dig 
gings,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles  over  a  very  dry  road. 
In  about  a  week  I  arrived  at  a  camp  which  appeared  to 
be  all  worked  out.  The  ground  was  turned  up  in  all 
directions,  pits  were  sunk  in  plenty  and  worked  out  in 


SEVENTEEN -YEAR- OLD    LAD.  227 

most  cases.  Picking  around  the  abandoned  claims  I 
found  a  little  gold,  and  stopped  at  that  camp  about  a 
month. 

The  experiences  of  the  miners  at  Bendago  were  novel 
and  varied,  as  it  is  ever  with  miners. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  flat  near  which  the  camp  was 
located  was  a  narrow  strip  which  widened  as  one  goes 
down  the  flat,  which  was  two  or  three  miles  long  and  in 
some  parts  half  a  mile  wide.  Gold  was  found  at  the 
upper  end  which  was  coarse  and  very  much  scattered, 
and  many  holes  were  sunk  which  struck  nothing.  When 
a  miner,  after  digging  for  gold  had  failed  to  find  it,  he 
would  call  the  pit  a  shyster.  One  day  an  Italian,  having 
sunk  his  shaft  to  the  bottom  and  striking  nothing,  came 
up  and  sang  out,  "Another  shyster !  who  will  buy  my 
claim  ?  " 

A  young  fellow  near  by  said,  "  I  will  give  you  half  a 
crown  for  it." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  Italian  ;  and  the  fellow  gave  him  a 
half-crown,  and  went  to  work  on  his  own  shaft  again. 

Towards  night  the  man  who  had  bought  the  claim 
thought  he  would  go  into  the  shaft  and  pick  around  a 
little,  and  the  Italian  came  and  looked  on  to  see  what  the 
fellow  would  find,  well  pleased  to  think  that  he  had  a  big 
half-crown,  while  the  man  at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft 
would  get  only  one  more  chance  for  a  fruitless  search  in 
exchange  for  his  money.  But  the  scene  quickly  changes 
around  that  pit.  The  young  man  at  the  bottom  picked 
out  a  nugget  that  weighed  twenty  pounds,  and  worth  be 
tween  four  and  five  thousand  dollars.  The  poor  Italian 
fell  on  his  knees  and  commenced  praying  and  cursing  in 
his  own  language  until  the  air  was  freighted  with  his  be- 
wailings  over  his  lost  opportunity. 

Throughout  the  mining  belt  in  Australia  there  was  a 
white  clay  beneath  the  gravel  strata.  How  thick  this 


228  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

clay  strata  is  I  never  knew,  but  the  gravel  above  it  was 
of  various  depths  from  six  to  twenty  feet.  The  gold 
would  invariably  be  found  on  the  top  of  the  clay  beneath 
the  gravel  strata.  The  gold  would  hold  tenaciously  to 
the  clay,  and  in  order  to  remove  and  separate  the  gold 
the  clay  had  to  be  taken  from  the  shaft  and  put  into  tubs, 
generally  half-hogsheads,  then  four  or  five  pails  of  water 
were  poured  in  and  with  a  shovel  it  was  chopped  and 
stirred  until  it  became  thick  and  muddy,  then  all  was 
poured  out  except  the  gravel,  when  more  water  was 
added  and  the  process  repeated  until  all  the  clay  was  dis 
solved,  when  the  gravel  would  be  taken  out  and  rocked 
out  after  the  California  style.  The  miners  would,  often 
find  when  they  struck  this  clay  many  gold-bearing  chunks 
which  would  be,  instead  of  clay  and  gold,  better  described 
as  gold  and  clay,  having  a  much  larger  amount  of  gold 
than  clay. 

Down  toward  the  lower  end  of  Bendago  Flat  and 
nearly  in  the  middle  were  located  three  mounds  which 
rose  about  a  hundred  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  flat. 
All  about  these  mounds  were  rich  finds,  but  the  hills 
were  composed  of  gravel  and  cobblestones  cemented 
together  so  very  firmly  that  a  blow  from  a  pick  or  bar 
would  have  little  effect.  The  miners  believed  the  ground 
under  those  hills  must  be  rich,  so  they  staked  their  claims 
on  the  surface  and  went  to  work  with  hammer  and  bar 
and  picked  their  way  to  the  bottom,  spending  three 
months  in  getting  down,  then  they  found  gold  in  plenty. 
They  sunk  some  three  or  four  feet  into  the  soft  pipe  clay, 
then  ran  drifts  in  all  directions.  They  would  work  up 
into  the  clay  until  they  could  see  a  little  gravel  with  a 
dark  reddish  stain,  then  go  no  higher  until  they  had  got 
their  drift  in  some  eight  or  ten  feet,  when  they  would 
take  down  the  thin  flake  of  pipe  clay  and  three  or  four 
inches  of  gravel  which  would  all  contain  gold. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  229 

All  the  placer  mines  which  I  saw  were  worked  in  this 
manner,  with  few  exceptions. 

Just  before  leaving  this  camp  the  miners  made  over 
tures  to  the  government  to  require  less  taxes  for  the 
privilege  of  mining.  The  tax  was  thirty  shillings  a 
month.  The  miners  wanted  it  placed  at  one  shilling 
or  nothing.  They  gathered  on  a  certain  day  at  the 
Bendago.  Numberless  flags  of  various  nations  were 
afloat,  and  the  stars  and  stripes  were  high  above  all  the 
others  ;  even  the  English  flags  were  outnumbered  by  the 
stars  and  stripes. 

This  matter  was  agitated  throughout  the  country,  and 
came  near  forcing  the  country  into  a  republic.  Every 
one  in  the  mining  regions  was  well  armed,  and  the  miners 
used  to  discharge  their  weapons  at  night,  loading  anew, 
so  that  if  they  should  have  need  to  use  them  upon  the 
troops  they  would  be  effective.  They  frequently  began 
to  discharge  their  weapons  about  four  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  and  from  that  time  until  ten  o'clock  there  would 
be  continual  reports  from  firearms.  The  shooting  was 
to  warn  the  soldiers  in  camp  what  they  would  have  to 
meet  should  the  government  employ  force  in  the  collec 
tion  of  the  tax. 

The  leader  in  this  movement  went  to  Melbourne  to 
confer  with  the  authorities  regarding  abatement  of  the 
tax.  The  miners  had  the  horse  which  he  rode  into  town 
shod  with  gold.  The  result  of  his  mission  was  a  reduc 
tion  from  thirty  shillings  to  ten  shillings. 

The  English  government  is  something  like  some  of 
our  capitalists,  —  they  will  never  grant  just  what  the  men 
ask  for,  but  come  down  a  little,  just  enough  to  take  the 
curse  off.  They  think  that  if  they  comply  with  the  de 
mand  to  the  full  extent  it  will  encourage  trying  again, 
and  then  it  would  virtually  be  admitting  that  they  were 
in  the  wrong,  which  England,  in  the  treatment  of  her 
colonies,  will  never  do. 


230  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

A  day  or  two  before  leaving  the  camp,  when  coming 
up  through  the  flat,  it  began  to  rain,  and  seeing  a  man 
sheltered  under  a  tree,  I  tqok  a  stand  beside  him  until 
the  shower  should  pass  over.  To  my  surprise,  the  man 
proved  to  be  one  of  my  old  shipmates  from  Hobartstown 
to  London.  I  had  last  seen  him  in  London,  nearly  five 
years  previous.  He  had  taken  the  gold  fever  like  many 
others  and  returned  to  Australia,  and,  having  been  one  of 
the  lucky  ones,  had  made  quite  a  pile. 

Volumes  might  be  written  about  that  camp  if  the  re 
markable  experiences  of  the  miners  could  be  described ; 
but  with  all  its  attractions,  not  finding  gold  very  plenty, 
my  restless  spirit  hastened  me  onward,  and  I  started  for 
the  new  gold  field  at  Donkey  Woman's  Gully. 

Being  told  that  I  could  take  a  short  cut  in  going  to 
Donkey  Woman's  Gully  and  save  several  miles  if  I  would 
start  from  Bullock  Gully  at  the  head  of  the  Bendago  Flat 
and  take  a  certain  course  which  they  gave  me,  I  started 
that  way.  My  informant  said  that  by  so  doing  I  would 
strike  a  creek  called  Jones's  Creek,  and  from  there  the 
road  was  plain  through  to  Donkey  Woman's  Gully.  On 
this  trip  I  had  one  of  the  most  wonderful  experiences  of 
my  life, —  an  experience  which  set  me  thinking  upon  things 
and  has  kept  me  thinking  upon  unexplained  things  ever 
since.  I  started  with  a  little  bundle  of  provisions,  pick,  and 
shovel,  and  arrived  at  Bullock  Gully  about  noon.  I  did 
not  hurry,  since  it  was  my  intention  to  reach  Jones's 
Creek,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  and  camp  there  for  the 
night.  I  started  into  the  dark  forest,  whose  foliage  shut 
out  the  sunlight  from  overhead,  which  made  things  ap 
pear  rather  sombre,  knowing  that  no  water  would  be 
found  until  reaching  the  creek.  Pushing  on,  as  I  thought, 
in  the  right  direction,  and  getting  a  glimpse  of  the  sun 
now  and  then,  I  saw  that  Old  Sol  was  getting  painfully 
low  and  yet  no  creek  in  sight.  As  the  night  drew  near 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  23! 

the  forest  became  darker  until  the  last  glitter  of  sunlight 
disappeared,  and  I  realized  for  the  first  time  that  I  was 
lost  in  a  dark  forest.  I  knew  by  past  experiences  what 
that  meant  in  Australia,  where  there  are  jungles  and 
scrubs  so  thick  and  tangled  that  I  have  walked  many 
hundred  rods  on  the  top  of  the  scrub  without  seeing  the 
ground. 

There  is  one  of  those  tangled  masses  of  vines  and 
shrubbery  called  the  Molly  shrub,  into  whose  jungles 
white  people  have  penetrated  never  to  return,  and  the 
natives  seldom  enter  them  unless  hard  pressed  for  food. 

These  facts  crowded  themselves  unbidden  into  my 
mind,  and  a  feeling  of  terror  swept  over  me  from  head  to 
foot,  and  I  never  felt  so  utterly  forlorn  before  in  my  life. 
Not  a  bird  fluttered  in  the  rich  foliage  above,  neither  was 
there  a  reptile  to  ruffle  the  leaves  beneath  my  feet.  A 
sound  from  either  would  have  been  most  welcome. 
Moving  forward  a  few  steps,  the  cracking  of  the  dry 
twigs  beneath  my  feet  was  all  that  broke  the  stillness, 
and  that  sound  sent  another  thrill  of  terror  through  my 
partly  unstrung  nerves.  I  was  so  completely  turned 
around  I  could  not  tell  which  way  I  had  come,  and  found 
myself  in  utter  darkness  soon  after  the  sun  had  set. 
Stopping  to  gather  a  few  dry  fagots,  I  soon  had  a  brisk 
fire,  but  took  good  care  to  scrape  all  the  leaves  and 
dry  twigs  several  feet  away  from  my  fire,  knowing  that  if 
I  did  not,  the  forest  would  soon  be  on  fire,  and  I  had  no 
desire  to  add  to  my  unpleasant  situation.  There  need  be 
no  fear  of  wild  animals,  since  there  was  nothing  larger 
than  a  kangaroo  in  the  country,  but  where  I  should  find 
water  troubled  me  not  a  little.  The  knowledge  of  being 
lost  and  without  water  seemed  to  make  my  situa 
tion  seem  much  worse  than  it  really  was.  I  had  enough 
food  to  last  with  care  two  days,  besides,  if  that  gave  out, 
I  could  find  roots ;  but  water  I  could  not  extract  from  the 


232  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

trees,  nor  could  I  expect  in  that  dry  country  and  in  sum 
mer  to  find  it  by  digging.  Water  in  Australia  is  one  of 
the  greatest  deprivations  of  the  people.  In  the  winter 
the  rivers  overflow  their  banks,  and  in  some  parts  of  the 
country  form  quite  large  lakes.  By  the  summer  season 
it  has  all  run  off,  evaporated,  or  soaked  into  the  ground, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  pools  in  the  depressions  along 
the  beds  of  the  stream.  It  is  to  these  pools  that  the 
miners  carts  their  dirt  to  be  puddled  out,  and  to  them 
ranchmen  bring  herds  of' sheep  and  cattle  to  drink.  The 
ground  in  summer  also  becomes  dry  and  hard,  and  will 
crack  open  to  many  inches  in  depth. 

After  starting  my  fire  I  ate  a  little  lunch,  but  my 
mouth  was  so  dry  that  I  could  hardly  swallow  my  food. 
After  sitting  by  my  fire  two  or  three  hours  pondering 
over  my  sad  plight  and  suffering  untold  agonies  with 
thirst,  I  took  my  pipe  and  filled  it  to  the  brim  and  went 
to  smoking.  I  thought  a  smoke  would  not  only  cleanse 
my  mouth,  but  would  bring  to  that  locality  all  the 
moisture  that  was  in  my  body.  I  continued  smoking 
until  quite  stupefied,  and  then  laid  myself  down  by  the 
fire  and  slept  a  little,  and  dreamt  of  marble  halls  and 
crystal  fountains  which  all  vanished  on  my  awakening, 
leaving  nothing  but  the  sombre  forest  round  about. 
Being  awake  considerable  of  the  night,  I  decided  to  be 
ready  to  catch  the  first  glimpses  of  daylight ;  and  as  it 
grew  lighter  I  began  to  look  around  to  look  for  a  sun 
beam,  intending  to  follow  the  sun  that  day,  and  perhaps, 
after  going  the  semicircle,  I  might  escape  from  the 
forest. 

Gazing  a  little  distance  into  the  deep  forest,  I  espied  a 
a  large  emu,  a  bird  similar  to  the  ostrich.  He  had  seen 
me  and  was  making  off  at  a  rapid  gait.  It  relieved  me 
somewhat  to  think  that  he  was  not  lost,  since  he  appeared 
to  know  where  he  was  hurrying  to.  Presently  a  cow  was 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  233 

heard  mooing  not  far  away.  I  had  decided  the  direction 
before  the  sound  died.  Now,  with  the  prospect  of 
escape,  rivers  of  water  appeared  in  the  air  on  every  side. 
Shouldering  my  kit  I  made  a  bee  line  in  the  direction 
from  whence  came  that  welcome  sound,  and  after  travel 
ling  a  quarter  of  a  mile  I  could  see  out  on  to  a  broad 
meadow,  near  the  middle  of  which  were  four  or  five 
head  of  cattle. 

Pushing  on  until  nearly  at  the  middle  of  the  meadow, 
I  noticed  that  the  grass  was  all  dry  and  the  ground 
cracked  and  parched  up.  In  parts  the  dry  grass  was 
thick  and  covered  the  ground  from  sight,  yet  all  was  as 
dry  as  an  ash  bed.  Taking  my  pick  I  dug  into  the 
ground,  but  could  find  no  signs  of  moisture.  I  took  one 
or  two  steps  forward  and  looked  off  over  the  meadow  and 
cried  aloud,  "  Where  in  the  name  of  God  shall  I  find 
water  ? " 

All  at  once  feeling  moisture  at  my  feet  and  looking 
down,  I  discovered  I  was  standing  in  a  little  puddle  of 
water  which  nearly  covered  my  shoes.  I  dropped  upon 
my  knees  and  put  out  my  hands  one  upon  each  side  of 
the  water,  and  was  bending  my  head  toward  the  water 
when,  casting  my  eyes  to  the  right,  saw  I  had  put  my 
right  hand  within  six  inches  of  a  serpent,  which  was  as 
large  round  as  my  arm  and  was  several  feet  long.  His 
head,  which  was  as  large  as  my  outstretched  hand,  was 
partly  under  water.  I  did  not  disturb  him,  but  lay  down 
and  took  a  drink  with  my  head  not  ten  inches  from  his 
snakeship,  thinking  that  if  he  would  let  me  alone  I 
would  let  him  severely  alone  also.  He  paid  no  attention 
to  me,  lying  perfectly  quiet. 

After  my  thirst  was  quenched,  I  arose  and  turned  about 
and  started  in  a  direction  at  a  right  angle  to  that  which  I 
entered  the  meadow,  crossed  the  flat  and  passing  over 
a  dry  crack  at  the  edge  of  the  flat  climbed  up  a  steep 


234  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

bank  some  ten  feet  high  to  the  tableland.  Soon  I  saw 
two  men  on  horseback  riding  up  through  the  forest,  and 
hailed  them.  They  were  on  a  well-beaten  trail.  They 
said  that  the  trail  would  take  me  direct  to  Jones's  Creek, 
which  was  some  four  miles  distant.  Thanking  them  I 
continued  on,  nor  did  I  tell  them  about  being  lost,  as  I  felt 
crestfallen  to  think  I  had  been  making  up  my  mind  to 
spend  a  few  months  if  not  years  in  the  jungle,  while  so 
near  a  well-travelled  trail. 

It  has  ever  remained  a  mystery  to  me  how  that  little 
puddle  of  water  came  to  be  there,  not  more  than 
would  fill  a  washtub.  The  little  hollow  was  full,  although 
there  had  been  no  rain  for  months,  and  the  meadow  was 
dry  as  all  other  parts  of  the  country.  The  ground  was  so 
broken  with  cracks  with  the  heat  of  the  sun  that  it  looked 
as  if  it  might  have  been  caused  by  a  little  earthquake. 

I  have  had  a  .better  opinion  of  snakes  since  taking 
that  drink  with  one  than  I  had  before.  The  snake  ap 
peared  to  be  ready  and  willing  to  share  and  share  alike 
his  cup  with  me. 

Why  the  water  should  be  at  that  particular  spot  and  no 
where  else,  why  I  came  to  go  in  a  straight  line  to  it,  and, 
in  fact,  why  I  did  not  discover  the  water  until  after  I  had 
cried  aloud,  "  Where  in  the  name  of  God  can  I  find 
water  ?"  is  beyond  my  comprehension.  Who  can  tell  ? 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  235 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ARRIVAL    AT    DONKEY   WOMAN'S    GULLY RICH     DIGGINGS  

A  VISIT  FROM  BUSHRANGERS A  LAZY  PARTNER WHILE 

GETTING    GOLD    PLENTEOUSLY,  YET   MISSES    MANY   GREAT 

OPPORTUNITIES BECOMES    DISGUSTED   AND    QUITS    THE 

CAMP CONDITIONS     IN    CALIFORNIAN    AND    AUSTRALIAN 

MINING     CAMPS     COMPARED GOES    ON     A     WILD-GOOSE 

CHASE  FOR  GOLD  TO    CALLAO RETURNS    TO    BOSTON 

AGAIN  EMBARKS  FOR  THE  GOLDEN  GATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

ARRIVED  at  Jones's  Creek  in  the  early  part  of  the  day, 
I  met  two  men  who  were  on  their  way  to  Donkey 
Woman's  Gully.  Jones's  Creek  diggings  had  been  pretty 
well  worked  out.  The  gold  was  in  large  nuggets,  as  was 
the  case  at  Bullock  Gully. 

Soon  after  the  camp  was  opened  a  team  loaded  with 
provisions  was  being  driven  along  on  the  banks  of  the 
creek.  It  being  in  the  early  spring  and  the  ground  soft, 
the  cart  got  stuck,  and  the  driver  went  back  to  give  a  lift 
on  the  wheel,  when  there  he  discovered  beside  the  cart 
rut  a  nugget  weighing  several  pounds.  The  driver  soon 
got  his  cart  out  of  the  way,  and  staked  out  his  claim,  from 
which  he  took  many  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  gold, 
mostly  in  large  nuggets. 

We  started  for  Donkey  Woman's  Gully,  arriving  in 
due  time.  We  camped  at  the  head  of  the  gully,  at  about 
sundown.  We  built  a  good  fire,  and  while  standing 
around  it  two  men  on  horseback  rode  up  and  wanted  to 
know  if  we  could  direct  them  to  Burnt  Creek,  which 
was  the  name  of  a  camp  about  two  miles  from  this  one. 

Stepping  out  I  said,  "  Yes,"  and  started  toward  the 
trail,  one  of  them  riding  along  by  my  side.  After  we 


236  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

had  got  some  five  or  six  rods  from  the  fire,  the  one  who 
was  with  me  stopped,  and  looking  back  I  saw  that  the 
other  one  had  got  off  his  horse.  The  one  with  me  then 
started  back,  and  that  move  started  me  back  in  double- 
quick  time.  In  a  moment  I  knew  they  were  bushran 
gers,  or  road  agents  as  they  are  called  in  this  country, 
mounted  highwaymen.  On  arriving  at  the  fire  the  fellow 
that  had  stopped  behind  got  on  to  his  horse  again,  and  I 
said,  "  Now  you  know  where  the  trail  is  as  well  as  we 
do,  and  you  had  better  be  going  as  quick  as  you  can." 

They  started  in  a  hurry  and  galloped  up  the  trail  they 
appeared  so  anxious  to  find.  Evidently  they  intended 
to  get  me  so  far  away  from  my  two  companions  that  I 
could  not  get  back  before  the  one  with  me  could  with  his 
horse.  Then  the  two  could  hold  up  my  two  friends,  rob 
them,  and  handle  me  at  their  leisure  ;  but  my  return 
foiled  them  in  their  plans.  We  learned  the  next  day  that 
two  bushrangers  had  passed  up  through  the  camp  the 
day  before,  and  our  two  nocturnal  friends  were  the 
same  outlaws  undoubtedly. 

One  of  the  men  that  came  into  camp  with  me  joined 
me  as  a  partner,  and  at  first  we  went  to  work  in  some  of 
the  old  claims  that  appeared  to  be  worked  out.  We 
found  a  little  new  ground  and  took  out  some  gold.  In 
some  of  the  pits  what  appeared  to  be  bed  rock  had  been 
struck.  Digging  into  the  bottom  a  little,  I  found 'that  it 
was  not  the  bed  rock,  but  a  thin  strata  of  gravel  cemented 
together  which  made  it  appear  like  solid  rock,  and  getting 
through  this  cement  beneath  it  found  considerable  gold. 
My  partner  set  to  work  in  a  claim  near  me,  but  I  soon 
found  that  he  did  not  know  gold  when  he  saw  it.  Going 
into  a  hole  that  he  had  worked  in  all  day  and  found  noth 
ing,  I  would  pick  out  nuggets  that  he  had  worked  over 
without  seeing  them.  I  therefore  set  him  to  sinking  a 
shaft,  thinking  that  when  he  got  to  the  bottom  I  would 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  237 

work  it  out  while  he  was  sinking  another  one.  While  he 
was  sinking"  the  shaft,  I  went  into  a  little  hole  that  had 
been  sunk  through  the  cement  crust  which  covered  the 
surface  in  that  locality,  and  which  was  about  eighteen 
inches  deep,  before  coming  to  the  pipe  clay.  Here 
quite  a  large  chamber  was  excavated,  and  I  found  on  the 
bottom  a  wooden  match  box  and  in  it  a  dollar  or  two  in 
gold.  Concluding  that  the  party  who  had  abandoned 
the  claim  must  have  found  something,  I  picked  out  a  cart 
load  of  dirt. 

We  had  to  cart  the  dirt  from  that  camp  about  three 
miles  to  one  of  the  water  holes  to  wash  it.  Getting  my 
dirt  carted  down  and  going  to  work  at  it,  the  yield 
proved  three  hundred  dollars,  or  fifteen  ounces,  the  gold 
being  worth  twenty  dollars  per  ounce.  It  was  twenty 
three  and  five  eighths  carats  fine.  Upon  my  return  to 
our  claim  I  found  my  partner  had  got  his  hole  down  to 
bottom,  and  had  struck  a  point  of  bed  rock  which  ap 
peared  to  be  pitching  down  into  a  crevice.  I  thought  of 
following  it  down,  and  yet  dared  not  trust  my  partner  to 
work  in  the  hole  where  I  had  struck  gold  so  rich,  know 
ing  that  he  would  throw  away  more  gold  than  he  would 
take  out,  so  I  left  the  new  shaft  and  called  it  a  shyster. 
We  then  went  to  work  at  the  place  where  I  had  struck 
the  metal.  A  few  days  later  another  party  went  into  the 
shaft  that  we  abandoned  and  followed  the  slope  at  the 
bottom  down  a  foot  or  two  and  struck  gold  to  the  tune 
of  two  hundred  dollars  to  the  cartload ;  but  we  were  not 
troubled  at  our  loss,  being  content  with  the  two  or  three 
hundred  a  day  that  we  were  getting. 

About  half  a  mile  down  the  flat  below  where  we  were 
at  work  and  at  the  side  of  the  road  that  we  used  to  cart 
our  dirt  over  I  had  noticed  a  shaft  that  had  been  sunk 
about  ten  feet  and  had  gone  a  few  feet  into  the  pipe  clay. 
The  shaft  had  been  abandoned,  and  on  several  occasions 


238  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

as  I  passed  it  I  had  a  desire  to  enter  it  and  look  it  over  a 
little,  but  I  did  not  do  so.  A  large  portion  of  the  ground 
between  the  shaft  and  where  we  were  at  work  was 
coated  over  with  the  cement  mentioned.  Many  had 
tried  to  get  through  it,  but  found  it  too  hard,  and  yet  it 
was  known  that  the  lode  run  through  the  flat.  One 
day  a  man  went  into  that  old  and  abandoned  shaft  and 
with  his  knife  picked  out  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars  in 
a  very  short  time.  When  it  became  known,  the  miners 
of  the  camp  all  rushed  in  and  staked  out  claims.  I  got 
one,  but  it  proved  a  shyster.  Returning  to  the  old  claim 
I  went  to  work,  but  did  not  feel  contented  with  my 
partner,  having  to  find  all  the  gold  and  divide  equally 
with  him,  so  interviewed  him  one  day  to  find  out  what 
he  had  done  for  a  living  before  coming  to  the  mines. 
He  belonged  in  Canada,  and  was  sent  to  the  Kaffir  war  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  had  become  lame  through 
the  hardships  which  they  had  contended  with,  and  on 
that  account  was  discharged  at  the  Cape.  From  the 
Cape  he  had  made  his  way  to  the  United  States  in 
an  American  man-o'-war,  commanded  by  one  Lieut. 
Hernden.  I  found  that  part  of  his  story  true  later, 
upon  my  arrival  at  Aspinwall  on  my  way  home,  since 
Lieut.  Hernden  was  at  that  time  in  charge  of  the  steamer 
"Central  America,"  which  plied  between  Aspinwall  and 
New  York.  This  steamer  went  down  a  few  years  later 
with  Lieut.  Hernden  and  about  all  on  board. 

I  had  got  thoroughly  worked  up  over  my  partner, 
whom  I  concluded  was  a  very  lazy  man  rather  than  a  sick 
one.  He  grumbled  around  several  days  with  a  tooth 
ache,  until  I  told  him  to  go  down  to  the  water  hole  and 
get  the  doctor  who  was  camped  there  to  pull  it  out.  He 
went,  and  in  a  day  or  two  afterward  said  the  doctor  had 
pulled  out  the  wrong  tooth.  I  believed  he  had  not  seen 
the  doctor  at  all. 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR- OLD    LAD.  239 

Finally  I  told  him  one  day  that  I  would  take  the  load 
of  dirt  I  was  getting  then  down  and  puddle  it  out,  and 
then  leave  the  country.  He  replied  that  he  would  go 
with  me.  I  took  the  dirt  down  and  in  the  last  hopper 
of  dirt  washed  out  one  nugget  worth  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  and  in  all  of  that  load  about  three  hundred 
dollars.  I  gave  away  our  tools  and  claim,  and  the  next 
morning  started  for  Melbourne.  The  man  to  whom  I 
gave  the  claim  said  that  he  did  not  think  he  should  work 
it,  since  he  was  getting  two  hundred  dollars  to  the  cart 
load  where  he  was.  There  was  fully  two  hundred  claims 
unoccupied  that  would  average  two  hundred  dollars 
to  the  cartload  which  I  left  behind  because  of  a  lazy 
partner.  I  might  have  bought  him  out  for  twenty-five 
dollars  ;  but,  knowing  that  the  ground  was  rich,  could  not 
find  it  in  my  heart  to  deceive  him  or  lead  him  to  think  I 
was  dissatisfied  with  him,  as  he  was  thoroughly  honest  and 
simple-hearted;  but  I  always  did  hate  a  lazy  man  or  lazi 
ness  in  any  of  its  many  forms. 

I  turned  my  face  from  the  claim  as  we  passed  by  it  on 
leaving  camp.  Two  days  later  we  passed  within  three 
miles  of  a  new  camp  where  the  miners  were  taking  out 
fortunes.  Old  women  were  making  forty  and  fifty  dollars 
a  day  picking  up  gold  from  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
and  many  others  by  hammering  the  quartz  rock  and 
breaking  it  up  and  picking  out  the  gold  thus  liberated  ; 
but  all  that  rich  camp  did  not  move  me  in  the  least  from 
my  resolve.  I  should  have  kept  on  if  I  had  waded  to  my 
knees  in  gold  to  get  out  of  the  mines,  so  thoroughly  dis 
gusted  had  I  become  with  all  mankind  and  all  that  was 
golden.  We  reached  Melbourne. 

Many  things  which  I  saw  and  heard  while  in  the  won 
derful  Australian  mining  country  are  well  worth  narrating. 
Everybody  has  heard  of  that  celebrated  mining  camp 
called  Ballarat.  Ballarat  is  sixty  miles  from  Geelong,  a 


240  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

little  town  on  the  border  of  the  bay  of  Port  Philip.  Port 
Philip  is  a  very  large  bay  or  harbor,  too  wide  to  see 
across  it  in  places.  The  entrance  to  the  bay  is  not 
wider  than  the  Golden  Gate  at  San  Francisco  Harbor. 
Passing  through  this  passageway  and  keeping  right 
straight  ahead  will  take  you  to  Melbourne,  but  to  turn  to 
the  left  a  few  points  will  take  you  to  Geelong,  which  is 
several  miles  distant  from  Melbourne.  The  coast  in 
nearly  all  parts  of  Australia  I  have  visited  is  very  level 
from  the  shore  back  for  several  miles ;  hence  the  country 
from  Geelong  to  Ballarat  and  much  farther  back  into  the 
country  is  very  level.  These  facts  are  mentioned  in 
order  to  explain  why  miners  at  Ballarat  sank  their  shafts 
many  times  below  salt  water,  and  again  to  show  how  near 
I  was,  while  lying  at  Geelong  for  four  months  in  1847, 
taking  in  wool  and  tallow  for  London,  and  how  careful  I 
was  not  to  go  ashore  lest  I  be  attacked  by  disease  so 
chronic  at  that  time,  and  run  away. 

Only  once  did  I  go  ashore  during  the  four  months 
that  we  lay  there,  and  then  remained  but  half  an  hour. 
That  was  the  place  where  I  should  have  run  away  above 
all  others,  for  I  would  probably  have  gone  back  into  the 
country  far  enough  to  be  beyond  capture  and  fell  to 
herding  sheep,  whose  feet  were  travelling  over  millions 
in  gold,  much  of  it  on  the  surface.  Having  a  geological 
tendency,  I  undoubtedly  would  have  known  the  difference 
between  a  pebble  and  a  nugget  of  pure  gold,  and  I  might 
have  been  the  man  to  first  start  the  wandering  gold 
hunters  instead  of  the  man  at  Suttler's  Creek,  California. 

When  gold  was  first  struck  at  Ballarat,  there  was 
found  a  little  gully  not  many  hundred  yards  long  which 
yielded  fifteen  hundred  pounds  weight  in  gold,  much  of 
it  in  large  nuggets.  This  gully  ran  down  into  a  lengthy 
flat.  Several  shafts  were  run  down  into  the  flat,  but 
were  abandoned  on  account  of  water  and  the  great  depth 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  24! 

that  one  had  to  sink  them,  as  at  that  time  there  were 
plenty  of  rich  claims  to  be  found  that  were  shallow  and 
easily  sunk  and  worked.  One  day  seven  English  sailors 
came  into  camp,  and  after  hearing  how  rich  that  little 
gully  had  been,  they  staked  out  claims  on  the  flat  and 
began  sinking  their  shafts.  The  commissioners  gave 
them  licenses  free  to  encourage  them  in  what  was  con 
sidered  a  risky  undertaking.  The  sailors  put  the  shaft 
down  something  over  one  hundred  feet,  and  timbered  it 
from  the  top  down  as  they  went,  going  through  salt 
water.  When  they  struck  bottom  they  took  out  one  tub 
of  dirt,  sent  it  to  the  surface  and  puddled  it  out.  They 
were  rewarded  with  twelve  pounds  weight  of  gold.  Then 
the  whole  flat  was  soon  staked  off  and  alive  with  miners 
working  like  beavers  to  see  who  would  get  down  to  the 
rich  lode  first,  which  proved  to  be  about  three  feet  wide, 
running  a  serpentine  course  down  through  the  flat,  and 
containing  more  gold  than  dirt.  There  was  one  nugget 
taken  out  of  that  lode  weighing  seventy  pounds.  It  was 
shipped  to  London  in  a  vessel  called  the  "Alexander," 
and  she  foundered  off  Cape  Horn,  and  is  now  probably 
lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  partially  held  down  by 
that  nugget  of  gold. 

After  the  flat  had  been  about  all  worked  out,  there  was 
still  one  spot  on  the  lode  that  had  not  been  worked  and 
no  one  in  particular  could  claim  it,  but  it  was  for  the  one 
who  could  get  to  it  first,  by  drifting  from  their  shafts  un 
derground,  which  could  be  done  quicker  than  by  sinking. 
There  were  a  party  of  Americans  who  had  a  shaft  quite 
near  the  rich  spot  that  had  not  been  worked.  They 
started  to  drift  in  common  with  many  others.  They 
pushed  on  night  and  day,  and  after  thirty-six  hours  of 
hard  work  reached  the  rich  spot,  finding  it  as  rich  as  ex 
pected.  But  one  poor  fellow  who  had  worked  thirty-six 
hours,  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  under  ground,  without 


242  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

coming  to  the  surface,  came  up  out  of  the  shaft  and 
going  into  his  tent  died  in  less  than  a  half-hour. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  mining  excitement  the  miners 
would  cart  a  load  of  dirt  and  puddle  out  one  tub,  and  if  it 
did  not  yield  one  pound  in  weight,  they  would  dump  the 
whole  load  into  the  water  hole  and  go  after  another  load. 
In  later  years  parties  went  into  these  water  holes  and 
cleaned  them  out,  making  large  fortunes  in  so  doing. 

About  all  of  the  gullies  that  were  rich  had  what  the 
miners  called  surface  diggings.  The  gold  in  the  flats 
and  gullies  could  be  traced  out  of  the  gullies  where  it 
could  be  found  from  the  bottom  to  the  surface.  After  a 
little  rain,  I  have  seen  gold  laying  around  on  the  top  of 
the  ground  as  thick  as  sowed  corn,  and  much  of  it  quite 
as  large. 

The  government  established  an  escort  with  mounted 
guards,  who  would  carry  the  miners'  gold  to  town  for  a 
certain  per  cent  per  ounce.  There  was  also  a  private 
escort  whose  guards  were  paid  by  the  month,  but  they 
were  not  obliged  to  defend  the  treasure  to  the  death,  as 
were  the  other  escorts.  The  result  was  that  the  private 
escort  was  held  up  one  day  by  five  masked  road  agents. 
The  guards  fled,  and  the  robbers  got  six  thousand  ounces. 
The  robbers  were  all  caught  a  few  months  later,  and  four 
of  them  were  hung.  There  was  a  steamboat  laying  at 
the  wharf  at  Melbourne,  with  passengers  aboard  for  some 
foreign  port.  One  of  the  passengers  lost  a  pistol  which 
he  thought  was  stolen,  and  a  search  was  instituted  and 
the  pistol  found  in  a  fellow-passenger's  berth,  and  also 
in  the  same  berth  was  found  a  large  amount  of  gold, 
much  of  it  being  identified  as  the  stolen  gold  from  the 
escort.  The  passenger  was  taken  ashore  and  soon  con 
fessed,  turned  queen's  evidence,  and  told  who  the  other 
four  robbers  were.  They  were  caught  and  hung,  while 
the  informer  went  scot-free. 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  243 

The  discovery  of  gold  in  Australia  did  not  have  the 
same  effect  on  prices  that  it  did  in  California  in  1848  and 
1849.  In  California  dry  jerked  beef  was  worth  four  dol 
lars  a  pound  ;  flour,  one  and  two  dollars  a  pound  ;  butter, 
potatoes,  and  other  such  food,  three  dollars  a  pound  ;  and 
other  things  in  proportion.  One  pinch  of  gold  between 
the  thumb  and  finger  was  counted  one  dollar.  In  Aus 
tralia  in  1847  ^e  best  beef  and  mutton  could  be  bought 
for  one  penny  a  pound,  and  everything  in  the  country 
proportionately  cheap,  labor  included.  After  gold  was 
discovered  beef  and  mutton  went  up  only  to  sixpence 
a  pound,  and  labor  to  five  to  seven  dollars  per  day,  while 
in  California  labor  was  ten  to  twenty-five  dollars  per 
day.  The  miners  in  either  country  did  not  appear  to 
realize  the  value  of  gold  when  in  nuggets  or  dust,  and 
were  reckless  in  spending  it. 

One  instance  which  happened  in  Melbourne  shows 
what  effect  gold  coined  and  uncoined  will  produce  on 
some  people.  A  miner  came  down  from  the  mines  to 
Melbourne,  having  about  five  thousand  dollars  in  gold 
dust,  and  going  into  Alvin  Adams's  express  office,  — 
which  is  a  branch  of  the  Adams  Express  Company, 
—  sold  his  gold  to  the  company.  In  payment  they 
counted  out  sovereigns  on  the  counter,  and  the  pile  con 
tained  something  over  one  thousand  bright  round  gold 
pieces.  The  man  was  told  to  take  his  money.  He 
looked  at  it,  stepped  back  a  little,  threw  up  his  arms,  and 
fell  dead  to  the  floor.  When  he  realized  the  value  of 
his  gold  in  the  form  of  money,  the  surprise  was  too  much 
for  him.  The  miner  looked  at  gold  more  as  a  mercantile 
commodity  than  in  any  other  way. 

On  arrival  at  Melbourne  I  met  an  old  California  part 
ner  who  had  come  to  Australia  a  year  previous  to  my 
arrival  in  the  country.  He  had  just  returned  from  the 
mines,  where  he  had  not  been  very  successful,  and  was 


244  THE    ADVENTURES   OF   A 

going  to  leave  the  country,  and  was  about  to  sail  for  Callao, 
South  America.  He  said  that  they  had  recently  made 
some  great  discoveries  in  that  country  in  gold,  and  the 
report  was  that  no  one  who  worked  in  the  mines  was 
making  less  than  one  thousand  dollars  a  day.  He  be 
lieved  these  big  stories,  and  I  was  simple  enough  to 
believe  them  also,  and  made  up  my  mind  to  go  with  him. ' 
My  partner,  my  old  friend,  and  myself  went  aboard  of  a 
ship  the  next  day  that  was  going  direct  to  Callao,  and 
we  were  soon  booming  away  from  the  land  where  I 
had  been  through  gold  nearly  knee  deep  to  get  out  of 
the  country.  Now  I  was  going  to  a  country  where,  it 
afterwards  turned  out,  had  been  worked  almost  entirely 
out  nearly  a  hundred  years  earlier,  and  where  what  few 
miners  were  at  work  were  only  making  two  and  three  dol 
lars  a  day.  We  pushed  on  as  fast  as  wind  and  water 
would  carry  us,  without  anything  serious  to  record  until 
we  had  been  about  three  weeks  out  on  our  voyage,  when, 
by  a  painful  accident,  two  men  lost  their  lives. 

We  were  running  under  a  stiff  and  fair  wind,  and  had 
been  carrying  studding  sails  forward ;  the  sail  had  been 
taken  in,  and  two  men  were  on  the  foreyard  arm  rigging 
in,  as  it  is  called,  the  studding-sail  boom  ;  casting  off  the 
lashing  that  held  it  to  the  yard,  the  boom  tipped  up  — 
caused  by  the  heavy  roll  of  the  ship  — and  threw  the  two 
men  off.  One  fell  on  to  the  anchor,  and  then  fell  over 
board  and  sank  to  rise  no  more.  The  other  man  went 
overboard  apparently  unhurt.  The  ship  was  immediately 
hove  to,  and  a  life  buoy  was  thrown  to  the  man  at  the 
same  time.  By  the  time  that  we  got  the  ship  to  the 
wind,  she  had  taken  quite  a  long  circuit,  which  left  the 
man  many  rods  distant  from  the  ship.  A  boat  was  low 
ered  and  an  hour  was  spent  in  hunting  for  him,  but  with 
out  finding  him.  He  was  near  the  life  buoy  when  last 
seen  and  must  have'gotten  into  it,  but  we  had  to  square 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  245 

away  and  leave  without  him.  He  was  a  Scotchman,  and 
weighed  nearly  two  hundred  pounds,  and  was  possessed 
of  all  the  vigorous  traits  that  the  Scotch  are  known  to 
possess.  He  had  one  brother  on  board,  and  I  have  often 
thought  about  what  must  have  heen  the  brother's  feeling 
when  our  ship  sailed  rapidly  away,  unsuccessful  in  saving 
the  unfortunate  sailor. 

Just  before  we  reached  our  destination  we  learned  that 
the  fever  that  was  supposed  to  be  raging  in  Callao  over 
the  big  gold  find  was  really  a  myth  hatched  in  the  fertile 
brain  of  the  captain  and  agents  of  the  ship.  The  ship 
had  brought  immigrants  to  Melbourne  and  was  going  to 
Callao,  there  to  load  with  wheat  for  home;  and  since 
there  was  no  freight  at  Melbourne  for  him,  the  captain 
thought  it  a  good  idea  to  fill  up  the  ship  with  fools,  which 
they  did  to  their  entire  satisfaction  and  to  the  disgust  of 
their  dupes.  Had  we  known  it  soon  enough,  we  might 
perhaps  have  baited  some  big  fish,  using  the  captain  for 
the  bait. 

In  good  time  we  arrived  in  the  harbor  of  Callao.  I 
had  when  in  California  learned  a  little  Spanish  or  Mexican, 

—  a  language  spoken  in  almost  all  parts  of  South  America, 

—  and  my  knowledge  of  the  language  was  ever  useful  to 
me.     After  we  had  dropped  anchor  the  boats  from  shore 
came  alongside  filled  with  natives,  offering  fruit  and  other 
edibles  for  sale.     I  asked  them  if  there  was  plenty  of 
gold  in  the  country.     They  shrugged  their  shoulders,  as 
about  all  of  the  Spanish-speaking  races  do  when  they 
have    any  doubts    or   wish    to    evade    a   direct    answer. 
After  being  pressed  for  an  answer,  one  fellow  answered 
that  there  was  a  little. 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  how  much  a  day  do  the  miners 
make  ? " 

"  Two  and  three  dollars,"  said  he. 

I  told  my  shipmates  that  was  enough  for  me,  and  that 


246  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

I  should  continue  the  voyage  a  little  farther.  We  were 
soon  all  ashore  and  began  at  once  a  still  hunt  for  some 
kind  of  a  place  which  would  be  half  civilized.  After 
wandering  around  awhile  and  tumbling  over  a  lot  of  buz 
zards,  which  appeared  to  be  the  scavengers  of  the  place, 
—  and  I  thought  by  the  appearance  of  the  streets  there 
ought  to  be  a  large  increase  in  their  numbers,  —  we  found 
a  little  place  kept  by  Americans.  We  put  up  there  for 
the  night,  and  soon  learned  there  was  fever  raging  at 
that  place  so  fiercely  that  it  was  carrying  hundreds  to 
their  graves.  It  was  the  yellow  fever  and  black  vomit. 
Quite  a  number  of  my  'shipmates  succumbed  to  the 
dreadful  plague. 

Feeling  rather  squeamish  one  day,  I  went  into  a  saloon 
and  drank  half  a  tumbler  of  brandy,  and  had  no  further 
trouble  after  that  dose. 

A  young  American  doctor  was  meeting  with  much 
success  in  his  practice.  He  used  nothing  but  tamarind 
water ;  but  he,  too,  at  last  took  the  fever,  and  his  skill 
could  not  save  him,  and  he  was  laid  away  with  many 
others. 

Much  rain  was  falling  at  that  time,  which  caused  the 
fever,  it  being  the  first  rainy  spell  for  three  years.  In 
dry  weather  the  country  is  very  healthy.  We  were  told 
that  there  had  been  a  time  during  which  no  rain  fell  for 
thirty  years.  There  are  many  rivers  flowing  down  to  the 
coast  from  the  snow  mountains  of  the  interior  of  the 
country  which  supply  water,  and  fogs  rising  from  the 
rivers  kept  the  air  in  a  good  and  healthy  condition. 

Callao  was  in  a  very  dilapidated  state.  The  people 
had  not  done  much  toward  rebuilding  the  city  since  old 
Callao  was  sunken,  many  years  since.  Along  the  beach 
the  tops  of  many  of  the  old  stone  houses  rose  out  of  the 
sand,  and  the  present  inhabitants  were  digging  out  the 
stones  to  rebuild  again.  In  the  middle  of  the  town  was 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  247 

an  old  tomb,  the  sides  of  which  were  open  to  hogs,  dogs, 
and  buzzards  alike,  and  exposing  hundreds  of  human 
bones  to  view.  Having  some  curiosity  to  see  the  inside, 
I  got  down  on  my  hands  and  knees  and  went  in,  being 
received  amid  profound  silence.  There  were  no  curiosi 
ties  I  cared  to  take  away  with  me.  The  bones  were  very 
dry,  and  no  doubt  many  of  them  had  been  entombed  a 
hundred  years  or  much  longer. 

Going  up  to  Lima,  the  capital  of  Peru,  I  found  that 
place  much  worse  than  Callao,  with  narrow  and  very 
filthy  streets.  I  did  not  remain  there  long  enough  to 
take  in  the  sights,  only  staying  half  an  hour,  but  in  that 
short  time  saw  enough,  but  little  of  interest  to  relate. 
Returning  to  Callao,  the  following  day  the  English 
steamer  came  in  from  Chili,  and  I  took  passage  on  her 
for  Panama.  Finding  my  money  getting  low,  I  worked 
my  passage  to  Panama,  and  arrived  at  that  place  in  good 
time.  Before  going  ashore,  I  helped  to  take  out  of  the 
steamer's  hold  one  million  dollars'  worth  of  gold  and 
silver,  which  was  brought  down  from  Chili.  After  that 
I  told  the  captain  my  contract  was  at  an  end,  and  he  let 
me  go  ashore.  There  I  learned  that  we  would  either 
have  to  wait  a  week  at  Panama  or  at  Aspinwall,  or  Colon, 
the  proper  name  of  the  place.  At  Panama  we  could  get 
nothing  to  eat  except  fried  bananas,  so  we  started  for 
Colon.  We  walked  a  part  of  the  way  until  reaching  the 
railroad,  which  was  then  in  process  of  construction  at 
that  time.  We  reached  the  railroad  about  three  o'clock, 
A.  M.,  and  took  the  train.  The  railroad  officials  saw  us 
long  before  we  got  to  the  railroad,  and  they  waited  nearly 
half  an  hour  for  us  to  arrive.  They  made  up  for  lost 
time,  however,  when  we  got  aboard,  and  we  reached  As 
pinwall  in  a  very  short  time. 

In  Aspinwall  I  soon  found  a  good  boarding-house, 
run  by  an  American,  who  also  ran  a  little  vessel,  trading 


248  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

among  the  islands,  and  he  was  therefore  able  to  furnish 
his  table  with  all  that  a  hungry  man  could  wish  for,  at 
seven  dollars  per  week.  About  a  week  after,  the  steamer 
from  New  York  came  in,  and  the  boat  from  San  Fran 
cisco  arrived  at  Panama  ;  the  passengers  from  San  Fran 
cisco  soon  arrived  at  Aspinwall  and  were  soon  on  board 
the  New  York  steamer.  The  steamer  from  New  York 
was  the  old  "  George  Law,"  and  she  was  afterwards 
altered  over  a  little,  and  her  name  changed  to  the  "  Cen 
tral  America."  She  was  a  very  old  boat  and  hardly  fit 
for  the  sea  in  heavy  weather,  knowing  which  her  owners 
caused  the  reconstruction  and  the  change  of  name, 
in  order  to  renew  her  youth.  My  Australian  partner 
found  in  command  the  old  friend  and  captain  with  whom 
he  came  to  the  United  States  from  Capetown,  Lieut. 
Hernden,  and,  through  old  acquaintance,  got  a  free 
passage  to  New  York.  It  may  be  remembered  that  I 
stated  this  boat  foundered  at  sea  a  few  years  later,  and 
about  all  on  board,  including  Lieut.  Hernden,  were  lost. 

My  fare  was  eighty  dollars  from  Aspinwall  to  New 
York,  where  we  arrived  in  good  time.  Taking  ten 
dollars,  I  left  my  gold  dust  with  my  partner  to  be  assayed 
in  New  York  and  exchanged  into  coin,  and  started  for 
Boston,  arriving  there  safe,  sound,  and  right  side  up. 

Having  told  my  partner  where  he  could  find  my  uncle 
in  Boston,  two  days  later  I  met  him  with  my  uncle  on 
the  streets  hunting  for  me.  He  had  with  him  my  coin 
and  the  assay  certificate  which  showed  that  the  gold  was 
twenty-three  and  five  eighths  carats  fine,  and  worth 
$20.01  per  ounce.  Twenty-four  carats  fine  is  pure  gold. 

I  remained  at  home  about  four  months,  ample  time 
for  me  to  spend  what  few  hundred  dollars  I  had  brought 
home  with  me.  What  became  of  my  partner  I  knew  not 
and  cared  very  little,  since  but  for  him  I  might  have 
been  at  that  time  at  Donkey  Woman's  Gully  taking  out 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  249 

hundreds  of  dollars  daily,  since  the  few  miners  left  be 
hind  could  not  work  the  camp  out  under  two  years. 

I  was  at  my  brother's  office  in  Boston  one  day,  and 
taking  up  the  morning  paper  noticed  an  item  which 
stated  that  the  fare  from  Boston  for  San  Francisco  was 
thirty  dollars,  and  going  at  once  down  to  the  office, 
bought  a  ticket  and  engaged  one  for  one  of  my  brothers. 
I  returned  home  and  notified  my  brother,  and  the  next 
day  we  started  for  New  York.  We  learned  the  next 
morning  after  buying  my  ticket  that  the  opposition 
steamer  at  Panama  had  been  bought  off,  and  the  fare 
raised  to  sixty  dollars,  but  we  got  ours  for  thirty  dollars. 


250  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TAKES  PASSAGE  FOR  CALIFORNIA  WITH  BROTHER  JIM SEA 
SICKNESS INFATUATION  WITH  FAIR  VOYAGERS VARY 
ING  PASSIONS  CAUSED  BY  LOVE  AND  JEALOUSY POLLY, 

FRANCES,  AND  MARY  JANE ARRIVAL   AT  SAN    FRANCISCO 

FINAL  LEAVETAKINGS  AND  DISILLUSIONS. 

ON  arrival  in  New  York  my  brother  and  I  were  not 
long  in  finding  the  boat  which  was  to  take  us  to  Aspin- 
wall.  We  soon  got  aboard,  and  as  our  tickets  bore  the 
numbers  of  our  berths  we  were  not  long  in  finding  them. 
We  found  that  each  section  contained  four  double 
berths,  two  occupants  to  each  berth.  Our  numbers 
called  for  an  upper  double  berth.  They  were  supplied 
with  a  mattress,  a  pillow,  and  a  cotton  quilt.  The  parti 
tion  board  that  divided  the  upper  berth  was  about  six 
inches  wide.  I  felt  a"  little  anxious  about  who  was  to 
occupy  the  berth  by  our  side,  since  it  would  be  nearly 
equal  to  the  old  fashion  of  bundling  all  in  one  bed.  My 
brother  was  somewhat  dissatisfied  when  he  found  that  the 
accommodations  were  not  the  same  as  they  were  on  the 
Sound  steamer.  He  called  the  berths  rough  pine  boxes, 
and  hardly  fit  for  a  dog  to  sleep  in.  He  had  not 
travelled  far  in  this  wide  world,  and  therefore  was  not 
very  well  posted.  I  told  him  that  he  had  better  occupy 
the  outside  of  the  berth,  and  he  readily  assented  to  the 
arrangement. 

I  thought,  since  the  occupant  of  the  other  berth  would 
be  near  neighbors,  we  must  be  either  friends  or  enemies; 
and  that  if  my  next-door  neighbor  should  be  inclined  to 
cause  trouble,  I  had  better  be  the  one  it  should  be  with, 
rather  than  my  brother.  We  had  not  as  yet  met  the 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  2  5  1 

party  who  was  to  occupy  the  next  berth,  so  could  not 
tell  what  might  happen  on  the  other  side  of  the  house. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  wharf  the  vessel  began  to 
tremble  and  roll,  and  my  brother  began  to  look  pale. 
He  was  beginning  to  inhale  Neptune's  bracing  air,  and  I 
knew  that  he  soon  would  be  on  his  beam  ends,  where 
he  would  stay  until  he  got  what  sailors  call  sea  legs. 

Presently  I  saw  two  moving  objects  on  the  opposite 
side  of  our  section.  One  of  them  scanned  the  number 
of  the  berth  and  nodded  her  head.  I  had  seen  enough 
to  convince  me  that  one  was  a  woman,  and  being  curious 
about  her  companion,  I  stepped  out  where  both  could  be 
seen,  and  discovered  that  both  wore  petticoats.  Much 
relieved,  I  yet  thought  there  might  be  a  big  brother 
somewhere  about,  so  hesitated  about  letting  them  know 
who  their  neighbors  were.  Just  then  a  low  groan  came 
from  my  brother,  who  sat  on  a  box  that  some  one  had 
placed  in  front  of  our  berth.  His  elbows  were  resting 
on  his  knees  and  he  held  his  head  in  his  hands. 

"  Hulloa,  Jim,"  said  I,  "what  is  up?  Is  anything  the 
matter  with  you  ?  " 

He  cast  a  sorrowful  look  at  me  and  said,  — 

"  O  Jack,  matter  is  no  name  for  it.  Did  you  ever 
see  a  fox  skinned  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  I,  "they  pull  the  body  through  the 
mouth." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "that is  just  the  way  I  feel"  ;  and  the 
next  development  in  his  case  proved  that  he  spoke  truth 
fully. 

"  Come,"  said  I,  "  I  guess  you  had  better  go  up 
above  "  ;  and  by  dragging  and  carrying  him  got  him  on 
deck,  but  his  legs  were  sort  of  tangled  and  twisted,  and 
refused  to  carry  him.  I  therefore  pulled  him  along  to  a 
settee,  where  he  fell  into  a  shapeless  heap. 

"  Come,  Jim,"  said  I,  "pull  yourself  together  and  take  a 


252  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

view  of  this  beautiful  landscape.  It  will  be  some  time  be 
fore  you  have  an  opportunity  to  look  upon  it  again." 

He  cast  his  eyes  toward  the  shore  which  we  were  fast 
leaving  behind,  and  I  left  him  awhile  to  drink  in  the 
beauties  of  the  scene  so  lavishly  spread  out  before  him. 

I  went  down  directly  to  our  berth,  and  noticed  that  the 
other  party  had  got  their  side  of  the  berth  pretty  well 
piled  up  with  a  mixed  lot  of  feminine  articles,  consisting 
of  bandboxes,  bundles,  and  carpetbags.  They  were 
piled  so  high  that  one  of  them  had  fallen  over  the  narrow 
board  partition  on  to  my  side.  Reaching  out,  I  picked 
the  bundle  up,  and  was  just  about  to  push  it  back  over 
the  fence,  when  one  of  the  ladies  who  claimed  the  berth 
arose.  As  she  stood  head  and  shoulders  above  the  things 
in  the  berth,  in  full  view,  I  was  spellbound.  Such  a 
head  of  hair,  black  as  a  raven,  which  hung  in  luxuriant 
ringlets  over  her  well-rounded  shoulders,  with  a  few 
little  curls  over  a  high,  broad  forehead.  Her  eyes, 
shaded  with  dark  lashes,  seemed  aflame,  with  every 
movement  bringing  out  a  hidden  lustre  from  those  dark 
orbs  to  reveal  the  emotions  of  the  soul  at  every  flash, 
while  her  brow  looked  like  a  beautiful  cloud  above  a 
setting  sun.  A  goddess  might  wish  for  her  nose,  and 
her  lips  were  like  a  June  rose  just  putting  forth  its 
beauty  to  the  world.  All  these  attractions  completed  by 
a  dimpled  chin  just  double  enough  to  give  a  little  ful 
ness,  and  you  have  the  face  complete. 

She  reached  out  her  hand,  which  was  a  marvel  of 
beauty,  with  slender  fingers  bedecked  with  jewels,  and 
gracefully  received  the  bundle,  saying,  "  Me  bundy,  me 
bundy." 

Thinking  she  was  trying  to  tell  me  that  we  would 
have  to  bundle,  I  blared  out  something  like,  "Yes,  yes, 
me  too." 

She  smiled  in  return  and  said,  "  Mon  Dieu." 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  253 

Again  thinking  she  was  trying  to  find  out  how  many 
were  to  occupy  my  berth,  and  had  put  the  cart  before 
the  horse,  as  many  foreigners  do  who  cannot  speak 
English  well,  saying  instead  of  two  men,  man  two,  so  I 
blurted  out,  hardly  knowing  what  I  said,  — 

"  Yes,  two  of  us.  One  is  on  deck  nearly  dead  ;  and  if 
you  say  so  I  will  go  up  at  once  and  throw  him  overboard, 
if  you  have  any  objections  to  the  third  party." 

She  smiled  and  said,  "  Vous  nous  parlez  Fran9ais." 

I  concluded  she  meant  Polly  and  Frances,  mean 
ing  presumably  that  her  name  was  Polly  and  her  com 
panion's  Frances. 

I  said,  "  Yes,  Polly,  and  if  you  want  me  too,  I  will  soon 
fix  the  other  fellow,  although  he  is  my  brother." 

She  sprang  up  a  little  higher  and  said,  "  Oui,  oui,  me 
brother,  me  brother."  And  I  thought  after  all  she  might 
have  a  big  brother  on  board  and  that  to  be  met  later,  but 
not  wishing  to  be  kept  in  suspense,  asked  if  she  had  a 
brother  on  board. 

She  answered,  "  Me  brother,  Frisco." 

I  concluded  after  she  had  repeated  this  several  times 
that  she  wished  me  to  be  her  brother  until  we  reached 
San  Francisco,  so  I  answered,  "  Yes,  certainly  I  will  be 
that  and  more,  or  I  am  a  Dutchman." 

"  Bon  bon,"  she  said  as  she  felt  of  the  mattress. 

I  thought  she  was  trying  to  tell  me  how  hard  the  mat 
tress  was,  and  that  our  bones  would  ache. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  it  will  be  hard  on  our  bones  ere  we  get 
to  the  end  of  our  trip,  but  I  can  stand  it  if  you  can,"  I 
said. 

She  smiled  and  sank  out  of  sight  behind  the  berth, 
while  I  silently  offered  up  thanks  that  kind  fate  had 
brought  the  star  of  my  destiny  to  view. 

I  had  travelled  over  many  rough  seas  and  foreign 
lands,  had  met  some  of  Britain's  four  hundred,  and  had 


254  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

danced  and  frolicked  with  titled  dames  on  the  islands, 
had  dined  with  kings  and  queens,  but  never  before  had  I 
met  a  star  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  entrance  my  soul. 
Now  I  could  shout,  "  Eureka." 

Finally  I  pulled  myself  together,  and  then  wondered 
what  my  poor  brother  on  deck,  sick  enough  to  die,  would 
think  of  me  for  so  long  neglecting  him. 

I  hurried  on  deck,  thinking  now  the  ice  was  broken, 
content  to  trust  to  time  and  circumstances  to  reveal  the 
hidden  future.  My  brother  was  looking  much  better. 

"  Hulloa,  Jim,"  said  I,  "  how  do  you  feel  now  ?  " 

"  Oh,  much  better,  Jack !  " 

"That  is  good,  you  will  soon  be  well  again.  Come, 
let  us  go  below,  the  steward  will  soon  ring  his  bell  for 
dinner." 

"Don't  say  dinner  to  me.  It  makes  me  sick  to  think 
of  food,  let  alone  eat  it.  I  have  got  rid  of  all  that  I  have 
eaten  for  the  last  month." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "you  have  plenty  of  room  to  accom 
modate  a  good  hearty  dinner." 

He  thought  he  would  have  to  feel  better  than  he  was 
then  before  he  could  care  for  food. 

"Why,  you  said  that  you  felt  better,  and  I  thought 
that  meant  nearly  well  ;  but  never  mind,  old  boy,  let 
us  go  below,  and  I'll  tell  you  about  our  next-door 
neighbors." 

"  Have  you  seen  them?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  and  do  you  believe  it,  they  are  young  ladies." 

"  Is  that  so?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  and  one  of  them  is  an  angel." 

"  Well,  and  the  other  one  ;  you  have  seen  both  of  them, 
have  you  not?." 

"  No  and  yes  ;  that  is,  I  have  seen  the  face  of  one  of 
them  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  other,  but  the  one  that 
has  the  inside  of  the  berth  is  a  beauty,  that  is,  if  I 
observed  her  aright,  and  I  think  I  did." 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR- OLD    LAD.  255 

"Think!"  he  interrupted,  "don't  you  know  whether 
you  did  or  not?" 

"  Well,  no;  you  see  they  are  French,  at  least  the  one  I 
talked  with  or  tried  to  talk  with  is." 

I  went  on:  "If  you  can  engage  the  attention  of  the 
other  one,  why  things  will  be  quite  pleasant  you  know, 
something  to  relieve  the  monotony  of  the  voyage. 
Again,  you  will  have  some  one  to  help  you  on  deck 
when  you  feel  a  little  sick." 

"  Ah,  you  mean  to  forsake  me  !  "  he  said,  "  and  turn 
me  over  to  a  strange  wroman,  one  who  cannot  understand 
a  word  of  English  or  speak  a  word  either.  What  kind 
of  a  fellow  do  you  take  me  for  ?  Has  your  angel  turned 
your  head  ?  " 

"  No,"  I  replied,  "  but  French  is  easy  to  learn." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  it  is  ?  "  asked  he. 

"Why,  I  have  learned  some  already.  You  know  we 
descended  from  the  Corbins,  and  they  were  French,  so 
you  see  that  it  is  the  French  blood  that  is  in  our  veins 
that  makes  it  easy  for  us  to  learn  the  French  language. 
You  would  soon  be  able  to  understand  her." 

"Well,  you  seem  to  take  it  for  granted  that  I  am  sure 
to  please  and  be  pleased  with  her,  and  yet  we  never  set 
eyes  on  each  other.  Perhaps,  since  you  know  so  much, 
you  will  act  as  interpreter." 

"  Yes,  Jim,  I  will  do  all  that  I  can  to  help  you." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  I  would  care  for  her? " 

"  Because  one  is  so  handsome,  the  other  must  be 
also." 

"  Well,  you  know  roses  grow  amidst  thorns  and  hedges  ; 
but  I  will  take  a  look  at  her  anyway,  since  we  have  got 
to  be  neighbors  for  a  week  or  two." 

At  that  moment  the  bell  rang  for  dinner. 

"  Now,"  said  I,  '•  let  us  go  below,  but  I  want  no  love- 
making  from  you  or  anybody  else,  since  there  is  but  one 


256  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

brother  mixed  up  with  Polly,  unless  she  happens  to  have 
one  in  California,  then  things  might  be  a  little  different. 
If  there  is  to  be  a  fight,  I  would  rather  it  would  be  at  the 
other  end  of  the  journey.'' 

We  hurried  along,  and  soon  got  on  the  steps  that  led 
to  the  mess  deck.  When  about  half-way  down,  where 
we  could  look  over  the  heads  of  those  below,  who  were 
crowding  toward  the  table,  I  saw  Polly's  black  head  and 
flowing  ringlets.  Just  then  she  stepped  out  of  the  jam. 

"  There,"  I  cried,  "  there  she  is  !  " 

"  There  is  who  ?  "  said  Jim. 

"Why,  Polly." 

"  What,  the  one  with  the  black  hair?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  replied. 

"  Well,  she  has  a  very  pretty  face,  that  is  a  fact,  but  I 
should  think  that  she  must  have  come  over  in  the  '  Great 
Eastern,'  since  no  other  boat  could  accommodate  her." 

Pretending  to  look  the  other  way,  I  yet  saw  enough  to 
convince  me  that  what  my  brother  said  was  true. 

"Oh,  well,"  said  I,  "  she  can't  help  her  great  growth." 

"  Growth,"  said  he,  "  she  is  built  up.  Nature  could 
network  such  a  miracle  ;  she  is  built  up,  I  say." 

She  certainly  did  look  a  little  that  way  I  must  confess. 
Being  all  one  size  from  her  shoulders  to  her  feet,  one 
could  not  tell  where  her  waist  was. 

We  found  the  tables  well  filled.  "Well,"  said  I,  "  there 
is  no  chance  for  us  at  these  tables,  let  us  go  over  to  our 
berth  and  wait  for  the  next  table." 

In  getting  to  our  berth,  we  passed  by  Polly's  section,  and 
as  we  came  opposite  it,  saw  her  companion  looking  out 
of  the  ventilator  in  the  side  of  the  boat. 

"  Now,  Jim,"  said  I,  "  here  is  your  chance,  while  Polly 
is  at  dinner.  You  know  that  it  would  be  ungallant  not 
to  get  acquainted  with  your  neighbor." 

Having  aroused  his  curiosity,  and  knowing   his    fond 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  257 

ness  for  female  company  when  at  home,  I  believed  he 
would  not  need  much  urging.  Not  believing  in  eaves 
dropping,  I  slipped  around  to  our  berth  and  sat  down. 
I  was  too  far  away  to  be  one  of  the  party,  and  yet  too 
near  not  to  hear  what  was  said,  and  my  curiosity  being  a 
little  aroused  to  know  how  he  got  along,  I  listened  and 
heard  my  brother  say, — 

"  Good  morning,  madam." 

Then  there  was  a  rustling  of  feminine  furbelows,  and  a 
squeaking  voice  said,  — 

"Me  Frances,  no  speak  English." 

Upon  hearing  which,  my  brother  answered, — 

"Oh,  excuse  me,  I  think  I  have  made  a  mistake  and 
come  to  the  wrong  berth ! " 

He  quickly  dodged  around  the  corner  to  where  I 
sat. 

"  Why,"  said  I,  "  it  did  not  take  you  long  to  break  the 
ice." 

"Ice  indeed,"  said  he,  "straight  from  the  north 
pole."  • 

"  For  goodness'  sake,  tell  me  what  she  said,"  said  I. 

"  She  said  enough  to  condemn  her  in  my  eyes  if  she 
had  been  an  angel  in  other  respects ;  she  called  me  a 
speckled  Englishman." 

"Why,"  answered  I,  "you  must  be  mistaken,  she 
surely  did  not  say  that." 

"  But  she  did.  I  never  want  to  set  eyes  on  her 
again." 

"  Bah  !  I  understand  the  whole  plot  now.  You  have 
met  her  on  board  before,  and  have  told  her  that  you  were 
an  Englishman  and  were  going  to  California  to  speculate  ; 
and  of  all  your  fine  story  the  only  thing  that  she  could 
remember,  was  '  speculate  '  and  '  Englishman.'  " 

"  Jack,  you  know  better  than  that.  I  never  laid  eyes 
on  her  before,  and  never  want  to  again." 


258  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

"  Well,  then,  tell  me  how  she  looks  in  the  face  ;  can't 
you  describe  her  a  little  ?" 

"  Great  Scot,"  said  he,  "  it  would  take  a  better  mathe 
matician  than  I  to  figure  out  that  face.  If  you  are  so 
very  anxious  to  know  how  she  looks,  go  around  and  have 
a  look  at  her." 

Just  then  Polly  returned  from  dinner,  and  seeing  me 
gave  me  a  pretty  little  nod  which  set  those  pretty  curls 
romping  over  her  beautiful  shoulders.  My  heart  gave 
a  leap  in  response,  as  Polly  passed  into  the  slip  between 
the  sections. 

Soon  after  the  bell  rang  again  for  the  next  table. 
As  we  came  out  of  our  slip,  Franky  was  a  little  in  advance 
of  us.  Pushing  on  after  her,  I  urged  my  brother  to 
hurry,  since  if  we  missed  that  table  we  would  not  get 
much  to  eat  at  the  third. 

When  we  reached  the  table  there  were  but  three  plates 
not  taken.  Franky  took  one,  and  I  pushed  my  brother 
up  to  the  one  next  her,  I  taking  the  remaining  one. 
After  helping  the  lady  next  to  me,  I  looked  to  see  how 
my  brother  got  on.  He  stood  with  knife  and  fork  in 
hand  and  a  vacant  stare  in  his  eyes. 

"  Come,  Jim,"  said  I,  "  ain't  you  going  to  help  the  lady  ? " 

He  paid  no  attention  to  me,  but  drove  his  fork  into  a 
large  piece  of  meat  that  had  a  great  bone  in  it  and  placed 
it  on  her  plate,  piled  on  two  large  potatoes  and  slid  a  piece 
of  bread  alongside  of  her  plate  ;  then  he  cast  his  eyes  over 
the  table  to  see  if  there  was  anything  else  he  could  help 
her  to,  but  failing  to  find  anything  more,  laid  down  his 
knife  and  fork,  and  with  one  look  at  me,  at  the  same 
time  pointing  to  the  deck  above,  vanished  from  the  table. 

The  one  look  he  gave  me  was  long  enough  for  me  to 
see  fire  in  his  eye,  and  forebode  trouble.  Since  my 
brother's  departure  was  so  abrupt,  I  turned  to  learn  the 
cause ;  and  as  Franky  was  so  near,  I  could  inspect  her  at 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  259 

short  range.  My  brother  had  not  overdrawn  the  picture, 
had  not  even  told  all  the  truth.  Her  head  was  smaller 
than  the  average,  and  was  covered  with  a  thin  growth  of 
grizzly  gray  hair.  She  had  a  low  rusty  forehead,  with  two 
holes  sunk  deep  beneath  shaggy  eyebrows.  Two  little 
round  black  spots  at  the  bottom  of  those  caverns  might 
be  seen,  which  shone  like  cats'  eyes  at  night.  Below 
was  a  long  nose  with  numerous  bends  and  curves,  and 
the  end  turning  up  abruptly  ;  and  a  mouth  that  looked 
like  a  chasm.  Her  form  I  am  unable  to  describe,  for  I,  too, 
was  content  to  turn  away  as  he  had  done.  I  soon  drew 
out  of  the  fight  for  mush  and  molasses,  leaving  Franky 
still  at  the  table  wrestling  with  what  my  brother  had 
given  her.  I  went  on  deck  at  once  and  found  my 
brother  sitting  on  one  of  the  settees,  looking  out  over 
the  blue  waters,  with  his  thoughts  probably  turned  far 
away  to  the  happy  home  he  had  left  behind. 

"  Hulloa,  Jim,  what  is  the  matter?  Are  you  dreaming 
of  the  sweet  by  and  by  ?  Come,  stir  around  a  little  and 
settle  your  dinner  so  that  you  will  have  an  appetite  for 
supper." 

"  Dinner  did  you  say  ?  "  said  he  ;  "  well,  I  am  glad  you 
have  found  a  name  for  it ;  I  should  call  it  the  remains  of 
a  butcher's  graveyard." 

"  How  is  that,  Jim,  was  there  not  a  plenty?" 

"  Yes,  plenty  of  bones." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "  you  disposed  of  one  large  bone,  and 
if  you  had  remained  a  little  longer  you  might  have  dis 
posed  of  a  lot  more  in  the  same  manner." 

"  Look  here,  Jack,  this  thing  has  gone  far  enough  ; 
you  have  steered  me  long  enough.  I  propose  not  only 
to  paddle  my  own  canoe,  but  to  steer  it  after  this,  and 
don't  you  forget  it." 

"Well,  Jim,  I  will  try  awful  hard  not  to  forget  it." 

I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  getting  bravely 


26O  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

over  his  seasickness,  and  perhaps  I  had  gone  far  enough 
with  my  jokes.  We  had  been  on  deck  then  about  two 
hours  and  had  got  pretty  well  aired,  so  I  said,  — 

"  All  right,  Jim,  but  remember,  if  you  run  against  a 
snag  you  must  not  blame  me." 

"You  need  not  trouble  yourself,"  said  he;  "if  I  am 
not  old  enough  to  look  after  myself,  I  will  hire  some  one 
to  take  care  of  me." 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  let  us  go  below." 

We  started  at  once  for  the  berth  deck,  and  on  passing 
our  neighbors  found  that  Franky  had  returned  from 
dinner,  and  she  and  Polly  were  having  a  lively  argument 
in  their  own  language.  On  catching  sight  of  us,  Polly 
nudged  her  companion  and  pointing  to  us  said,  "  Brother, 
brother." 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  brothers  and  two  of  us." 

Then  she  pointed  to  herself  and  said,  "  Me  brother, 
Frisco,  me  brother,  Frisco." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  I,  "  glad  to  hear  that." 

Following  my  brother,  who  had  got  around  the  corner 
to  our  berths,  I  asked,  "What  do  you  think,  Jim,  that 
Polly  says  ?  " 

"  What  the  deuce  do  you  think  or  suppose  I  care  what 
your  poll  parrot  says  ?  " 

"  Why,  Jim,  she  says  that  she  has  a  brother  in  Frisco 
that  is  a  millionnaire." 

"  Well,  what  of  that,  what  do  you  suppose  I  care  if  he 
owns  the  whole  State  of  California  ?  " 

"Well,  you  know  we  might  not  have  to  go  to  the 
mines." 

"  Do  you  know,  Jack,  that  I  don't  think  I  shall  go  to 
the  mines  anyway;  for  if  I  ever  get  to  the  country  alive, 
I  shall  leave  at  once  to  get  back  home,  even  if  I  have  to 
walk  the  whole  distance  across  the  continent  barefoot 
and  alone." 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  26  I 


"  Oh,  no,  Jim,  I  would  not  allow  you  to  do  that." 

"  And  pray  what  would  you  do  about  it?"  asked  he. 

"  I  would  not  be  so  mean  as  to  allow  you  to  walk  a 
journey  of  three  thousand  miles,  if  I  had  a  million  dollars 
behind  me." 

"  Yes,  I  think  it  is  behind  you  and  a  long  way  behind 
you,  and  likely  to  remain  there." 

"  Well,  Jim,  I  don't  know  about  that.  Polly  and  I  are 
pretty  good  friends,  and  she  wanted  me  to  be  her  brother 
until  we  reached  Frisco,  and  you  know  something  might 
happen  so  that  I  would  be  more  than  her  brother." 

"  Yes,  I  have  no  doubt  she  will  want  a  coachman,  and 
of  course  you  will  then  want  a  tall  plug  hat ;  be  careful 
and  not  get  one  that  is  too  large  for  you  ;  if  you  did,  it 
might  slip  down  over  your  eyes  and  blind  you,  and  you 
are  blind  enough  now.  I  think  you  may  well  say  that 
something  might  happen  if  she  has  a  big  brother  in 
Frisco." 

"  Oh,  well,  Jim,  you  know  that  is  my  lookout." 

"  Well,  Jack,  since  you  have  such  lofty  ideas  and  hopes, 
what  do  you  intend  to  do  with  that  companion  of  your 
Polly  ?  You  would  not  want  her  hanging  on  to  your  coat 
tails,  would  you  ?" 

"  Well,  no,  but  you  see  I  have  got  that  all  planned  out 
long  ago.  You  see  there  are  not  many  women  in  Cali 
fornia,  and  there  are  plenty  of  rich  men  who  would  like 
to  get  married  if  they  could  find  any  one  who  would 
marry  them,  and  you  know  that  a  drowning  man  will 
catch  at  a  straw." 

"  A  straw  indeed!  If  they  take  her  for  a  straw  they  will 
think  that  they  have  got  the  devil's  reaper  thrown  in,  in 
order  to  give  good  measure." 

"  Oh,  no,  Jim,  you  are  too  hard  on  the  poor  lady ;  she 
isn't  to  blame  for  her  bad  looks  any  more  than  you  are 
for  yours." 


262  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

"  Do  you  think  there  is  any  comparison  between  us?" 
he  asked;  "  because  if  I  thought  there  was  a  particle,  I 
would  jump  overboard  this  minute." 

"  Oh,  no,  Jim,  I  did  not  mean  that;  I  meant  that  she 
was  not  to  blame  for  her  looks  any  more  than  you  or 
anybody  else  are." 

"Well,"  said  he,  "I  am  glad  that  you  chose  the  side 
of  the  berth  you  did,  and  I  only  wish  that  my  side  was  a 
mile  farther  away  than  it  is." 

"Why,  Jim,  you  will  not  be  very  near  them  long." 

"  I  would  sooner  sleep  on  a  bed  of  thorns  than  to  sleep 
where  you  will  have  to  for  the  next  two  weeks,  and  per 
haps  longer,  if  the  berths  are  arranged  the  same  on  the 
steamer  the  other  side  of  the  isthmus." 

"Well,  Jim,  you  know  that  the  most  beautiful  roses 
bloom  amongst  thorns  and  hedges." 

"Rose  indeed!  I  should  call  it  a  cauliflower,  with  a 
hamper  of  greens  thrown  in." 

"Well,  you  know,  Jim,  that  it  is  quite  natural  for  man 
kind  to  want  to  get  all  that  they  can  for  the  money  in 
vested.  Now  as  to  Franky,  Polly  can  fix  her  up  a  little. 
You  know  that  the  French  are  skilled  with  the  brush  and 
paint." 

"  Yes,  Jack,  you  may  well  say  paint,  and  you  might 
add  a  few  pounds  of  putty.  I  think  that  they  would  find 
room  for  it  on  her  face,  and- 1  also  think  that  your  Polly 
has  a  good  supply  of  both  articles  now." 

"  I  hope  you  don't  mean  to  insinuate  that  there  is  any 
thing  artificial  about  Polly,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  may  have  a  chance  to  find  that  out  before 
morning,  especially  after  she  has  made  her  toilet." 

"  Well,  Jim,  I  think  that  we  had  better  go  on  deck, 
since  it  is  quite  bedtime,  and  you  know  that  gentlemen 
ought  not  to  be  present  when  ladies  are  making  their 
toilets,  especially  the  first  night  at  all  events.  I  mean 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  263 

not  so  soon  after  an  introduction,  but  things  might  be 
different  later  on  you  know." 

We  soon  went  on  deck  and  left  the  ladies  to  them 
selves  to  arrange  their  toilet  after  their  own  fashion,  un 
disturbed  by  us. 

After  we  had  found  a  seat  I  began  to  quiz  my  brother, 
as  he  had  scared  me  a  little.  He  was  much  better  posted 
in  the  ways  of  women  than  I,  notwithstanding  I  had  seen 
more  of  the  world  than  he. 

"  Oh,  Jim,"  I  began,  "what  makes  you  think  there  is 
anything  wrong  with  Polly?" 

"  I  don't  say  there  is  anything  wrong  about  her,  but  I 
think  that  those  curls  that  you  so  much  admire  are  a 
little  too  fresh  for  one  of  her  age." 

"  Indeed,  Jim,  why,  she  told  me  that  she  was  twenty- 
five." 

"  Come  now,  I  think  you  have  got  the  figures  a  little 
mixed  ;  I  think  to  reverse  them  would  be  a  little  nearer 
the  mark." 

"What,"  said  I,  "you  do  not  mean  to  say  that  she  is 
fifty-two  ?  " 

"  Well,  that  is  about  right.  You  say  that  the  French 
are  skilled  with  the  brush  and  paint,  and  perhaps  you 
know  what  that  lot  of  little  boxes  and  bottles  and  other 
notions  Polly  took  out  of  her  bag  contained.  Well,  they 
might  contain  paint  enough  to  paint  the  White  House  at 
Washington." 

"  Well,  you  know,  Jim,  that  when  ladies  are  travelling 
on  a  long  journey  they  carry  a  lot  of  cologne  and  other 
articles  which  are  necessary  for  their  toilet,  and  it  is  not 
supposed  that  men  will  know  all  about  such  things." 

"Well,  Jack,  it  would  perhaps  be  better  if  they  did 
know  more  about  such  feminine  truck ;  if  they  did  there 
would  not  be  quite  so  many  men  making  asses  of  them 
selves,  as  you  have  done,  when  they  see  a  pretty  face." 


264  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

I  felt  the  blood  leap  into  my  face,  but  it  was  too  dark 
for  him  to  notice  it.  He  turned  that  moment  and  put 
his  head  over  the  rail  and  gazed  over  into  the  dark  blue 
waters.  As  his  last  words  left  his  lips  a  thousand 
demons  seemed  to  hold  me  in  their  grasp,  and  my  first 
impulse  was  to  catch  him  by  the  legs  and  suddenly  hurl 
him  headlong  into  the  ocean.  I  knew  that  it  was  too 
dark  for  any  one  to  see  me,  and  also  that  the  wheels  were 
cutting  and  slashing  the  water  into  a  white  foam  but  a 
little  way  behind  where  he  would  strike  the  water,  and 
when  they  reached  him  they  would  soon  grind  him  up. 
I  bent  over  and  grasped  him  by  the  legs,  but  in  doing 
so  my  head  came  in  contact  with  some  one  who  had  just 
come  along.  I  sprang  up,  and  there  in  the  twilight 
stood  Polly.  She  recognized  me  at  once,  and  held,  out 
that  pretty  jewelled  hand.  I  grasped  it  and  she  said, 
"  Brother." 

I  said,  "  Yes,  Polly,  and  you  are  an  angel.  You  have 
saved  my  brother  from  a  watery  grave  and  myself  from 
the  gallows." 

It  was  quite  late,  so  we  all  soon  went  below. 

I  found  that  Polly  did  not  hesitate  to  make  her  toilet 
in  our  presence.  She  simply  threw  off  her  shawl  and 
retired.  I  soon  thereafter  threw  off  my  coat  and  vest 
and  took  to  my  berth,  not  more  than  six  inches  on  the 
weather  side  of  Polly,  but  there  was  a  board  six  feet  long 
and  six  inches  wide  between  us.  Overhead  I  noticed 
there  were  some  strips  of  boardsxnailed  from  beam  to 
beam,  which  formed  a  temporary  rack  to  bold  passengers' 
baggage.  Polly  had  the  rack  well  filled,  and  in  the  lot 
was  a  little  sunshade  nicely  wrapped  in  its  case.  Thinking 
of  nothing  in  particular,  yet  being  uneasy,  I  became  ab 
sorbed  in  gazing  on  that  article.  I  tossed  and  rolled  over 
some  fifty  times,  troubled  not  a  little  to  think  how.  near  I 
came  to  becoming  a  murderer.  After  a  while  I  fell  into  a 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  265 

broken  slumber  and  was  soon  dreaming.  In  my  dream 
I  was  on  deck  leaning  over  the  ship's  side  with  a  long 
pole  in  my  hands  ;  there  below  me  was  my  brother  in 
the  water  grasping  at  everything  he  could  see,  while  I 
was  pushing  him  with  the  pole  trying  to  keep  him  under 
water,  and  telling  him  to  go  below  and  see  what  he  could 
find  there,  but,  like  Hamlet's  ghost,  he  would  not  down. 
Finally  he  made  one  desperate  struggle  and  grasped  the 
pole  and  jerked  it  out  of  my  hands.  The  shock  was  so 
great  that  it  nearly  pulled  me  overboard,  and  I  jumped 
to  save  myself,  and  in  so  doing  awoke. 

I  glared  around  with  a  vacant  stare,  and  there  sat 
Polly  bolt  upright  in  bed.  She  looked  as  if  she  thought 
she  was  being  murdered  in  cold  blood.  She  pointed  at 
the  sunshade,  then  at  me,  and  then  at  herself.  I  dis 
covered  at  once  I  had  got  her  sunshade  down  and  was 
punching  her  in  the  ribs  with  it  instead  of  my  brother. 

I  explained  to  her  that  it  was  all  a  mistake  and  a 
dream. 

She  said,  "  Mon  Dieu!"  and  curled  down  under  the 
coverlet  again. 

My  brother  woke  up  and  wanted  to  know  what  in 
thunder  I  was  trying  to  do.  I  told  him  I  was  dreaming, 
and  thought  we  had  landed  in  Frisco,  and  that  we  were 
out  with  a  party  for  a  few  days  of  sport  and  fishing.  In 
my  dream  I  had  just  hooked  a  large  salmon  and  was  try 
ing  to  land  him,  but  that  he  was  too  much  for  me  and 
had  pulled  the  pole  out  of  my  hands,  and  I  supposed 
that  I  had  got.  Polly's  sunshade  for  a  pole. 

"  Yes,  I  think  it  is  more  likely  that  you  were  fishing 
for  angel  fish  and  hooked  a  whale,"  said  my  brother. 

"  Oh,  well,  it  is  all  right  now!"  said  I,  and  hid  myself 
under  the  quilt  and  was  quiet  again. 

I  managed  to  get  a  few  cat  naps,  but  did  not  try  to 
keep  my  brother  down  or  to  catch  any  more  fish. 


266  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

In  the  morning  I  was  up  and  dressed  at  the  break  of 
day  and  went  on  deck  at  once.  Not  caring  to  see  Venus 
rise  that  morning,  I  remained  on  deck  until  the  third 
table  was  rung  for  breakfast,  which  consisted  of  water 
and  corn  meal  well  mixed.  After  partaking  sparingly  of 
my  frugal  repast,  I  went  below  and  found  everything 
serene  as  if  nothing  had  happened  to  disturb  them  from 
their  slumbers.  Things  passed  off  that  day  and  the 
night  also  without  any  mishaps. 

One  day  when  we  had  been  out  about  a  week  and  I 
considered  myself  Polly's  best  friend,  I  saw  her  go  to  the 
table  with  a  large  dark-looking  fellow.  He  seemed  to 
be  pouring  his  soft  talk  into  her  ears,  and  she  appeared 
to  be  a  willing  listener,  and  was  all  smiles.  The  green- 
eyed  monster,  jealousy,  had  me  by  the  ear  at  once. 
Crouching  along  toward  the  table,  I  nearly  broke  my 
neck  as  I  tumbled  over  one  of  the  colored  waiters. 

"  Take  care,  massa,"  said  he. 

"  Get  out  of  my  way,"  I  replied,  passing  on. 

Polly  and  her  companion  soon  reached  the  table, 
when  the  only  vacant  place  was  the  third  beyond  them, 
and  there  were  five  men  after  that,  but  I  gave  an  extra 
leap  and  came  in  ahead. 

Polly  and  her  friend  had  a  good  deal  to  say,  but  it  was 
all  in  French.  How  I  wished  that  in  my  younger  days  I 
had  learned  French  in  my  leisure  hours,  instead  of  play 
ing  marbles  !  Finishing  my  dinner,  I  went  directly  on 
deck,  thirsting  for  French  blood. 

On  reaching  the  deck  I  met  a  young  lady  face  to  face 
whose  uncle  was  taking  her  to  California,  thinking,  per 
haps,  that  she  might  marry  there  or  get  work.  I  had 
spoken  to  her  a  few  times  before,  but  not  often.  On  those 
occasions  she  appeared  to  want  to  prolong  the  interview, 
and  I  would  linger,  since  she  was  a  very  pretty  girl  and 
entertaining;  but  when  Polly  appeared,  I  would  grace- 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  267 

fully  draw  away,  not  wishing  to  see  any  hair  pulling  on 
my  account. 

On  seeing  her,  I  thought  of  a  plan  whereby  Polly 
might  be  won  back.  Not  knowing  her  name,  I  called  her 
Mary  Jane.  . 

"  Good  morning,  Mary  Jane,"  said  I. 

"  Why,  Australia,  how  do  you  do  ?  " 

She  had  learned  that  I  had  been  in  Australia,  so  used 
to  call  me  by  that  name.  % 

"  Oh,  I  am  pretty  well !  "  I  replied,  and  then  asked  her 
how  she  was. 

"  Oh,  splendid  !  " 

"  That  is  good.  I  have  not  seen  much  of  you  lately, 
Miss  Mary." 

"  No,  I  have  kept  below  a  good  deal  of  late ;  but  the 
weather  is  so  delightful  now  that  I  thought  I  would  spend 
more  time  on  deck." 

I    led    her  along  to  a  settee    and    said,  — 

"  Come,  be  seated." 

She  sat  down,  and  I  took  a  seat  beside  her. 

"  Now,  Australia,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question,"  said 
she. 

"  Well,  ask  away,  I  am  all  attention." 

'  Well,  who  is  that  black-eyed  girl  whom  I  have  seen 
you  so  much  with,  and  at  the  table  you  are  always  by  her 
side?" 

My  cunning  did  not  leave  me  at  this  critical  time. 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  it  is  a  long  story  to  tell  you  before 
you  will  understand  the  situation." 

"  Oh,  do  tell,  it  must  be  quite  a  romance,  and  with  such 
a  charming  heroine  too  !  " 

"  Not  much  of  a  romance,  but  quite  singular  that  we 
should  meet  as  we  did.  You  see,  I  was  born  in  France, 
and  at  the  age  of  nine  my  mother  died.  I  had  one  sister 
who  was  five  years  younger  than  myself.  Well,  we  had  an 


268  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

old  servant*who  used  to  boss  father  a  good  deal,  and  after 
mother  died  she  wanted  to  get  what  property  father  had 
into  her  own  hands,  so  she  made  father  marry  her." 

"  Why,  I  should  not  think  that  your  father  need  to 
have  married  her  if  he  did  not  want  to." 

"  But  you  see,  she  was  boss,  and  so  she  made  father 
marry  her.  She  always  took  to  my  sister,  I  suppose 
because  she  was  so  handsome,  but  father  and  I  had  to 
catch  it.  One  day  she  was  dressing  down  father,  and  I 
knew  that  my  turn  would  come  next,  so  tucking  my  cap 
under  my  arm,  slipped  out  of  the  back  door  and  started 
down  the  street  that  led  to  a  wharf.  There  was  a  large 
ship  laying  alongside,  and  a  lot  of  people  on  the  wharf, 
some  of  them  going  on  board.  Well,  when  I  got  there 
I  went  aboard  with  the  rest,  and  pretty  soon  found 
that  we  were  going  down  the  river  and  I  could  not  get 
ashore,  so  sat  down  on  a  box  and  began  to  cry." 

"  Poor  boy,  you  must  have  felt  bad." 

"  Yes,  but  I  was  to  blame  for  going  aboard." 

"  Yes,  but  you  did  not  know." 

"  No,  I  did  not  know,  but  I  soon  found  out  to  my  sor 
row.  Presently  an  old  sailor  came  along  and  said,  '  What 
is  the  matter  ? '  I  told  him  that  I  wanted  to  go  home. 
'Where  is  your  home?'  said  he.  When  I  told  him,  he 
said  that  I  should  have  thought  of  that  before,  and  that 
it  would  be  a  long  while  before  I  saw  home  again  ;  that 
they  were  not  going  to  stop  to  put  a  kid  like  me  ashore. 
He  then  told  me  they  were  going  to  Australia,  and  that 
I  would  have  to  go  with  them.  I  saw  him  go  to  the 
mate,  and  pretty  soon  the  mate  came  to  me  and  put  his 
hand  on  my  head  and  said,  '  Look  up  here,  little  man, 
and  tell  me  how  you  came  aboard  of  this  ship.'  I  told 
him  as  I  had  done  the  sailor.  '  Well,  don't  cry/  said 
he,  and  he  led  me  aft  to  the  captain.  The  captain 
looked  me  over  and  said  something  to  the  mate.  Turn- 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  269 

ing  to  me  the  mate  said,  '  You  will  have  to  stay  with  us. 
Now  go  forward  and  be  a  good  boy.'  I  went  forward 
and  was  a  good  boy  until  we  reached  Swan  River  in 
Australia,  and  then  I  was  a  bad  boy  and  ran  away." 

"  Why,  what  made  you  run  away  in  that  wild  country?" 

"Well,  because  I  liked  the  shore  better  than  I  did  the 
ship." 

"  I  have  been  told  that  the  people  in  that  country  are 
wild.  Is  that  so  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  And  that  they  don't  wear  any  clothing  in  that 
country  either.  Is  that  so  ?  " 

"Oh,  no;  it  is  only  the  natives  who  don't  wear  any 
clothing." 

"  Do  the  white  folks  let  them  come  around  to  their 
houses?" 

"Oh,  yes,  the  natives  have  access  to  all  of  the  settlers' 
houses,  and  sometimes  they  are  allowed  to  sit  at  the 
same  table." 

"  Oh,  I  should  not  like  that,  although  I  should  not 
want  to  hurt  the  poor  creatures." 

"  Many  of  our  best  artists  go  out  there  to  study  the 
natives." 

"  Why,  what  do  they  do  that  for  ?  " 

"  Well  you  see  the  nude  in  art  is  a  microcosm  in  the  eye 
of  the  artist.  You  see,  when  they  get  this  world  down 
to  a  minimum  they  can  study  their  subject  much  better, 
and  out  there  they  find  plenty  of  subjects  to  pose  for 
them." 

"  I  suppose  that  you  learned  to  talk  native." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  spent  most  of  my  time  learning  English, 
and,  do  you  believe  it,  soon  forgot  all  of  my  French,  so 
that  when  I  left  the  country  I  could  not  speak  a  word 
of  French." 

"  Wasn't  that  too  bad  ?  " 


270  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

"Yes,  indeed,  since  it  would  be  of  much  value  to  me 
now.  Well,  after  being  in  the  country  several  years,  I 
began  to  long  for  home,  so  one  day  seeing  a  ship  that 
was  going  to  London,  I  shipped  in  her." 

"Wasn't  you  sorry  to  leave  that  country  where  you 
had  lived  so  long?  " 

"Yes,  but  I  wanted  to  see  my  father  and  sister,  but  I 
did  not  care  about  seeing  my  step-mother." 

"No,  I  should  not  think  you  would." 

"  Well,  I  shipped  and  went  to  London  and  got  there  all 
right.  You  see  London  is  like  all  other  large  cities,  a 
good  place  to  spend  money  in.  After  getting  paid  off,  I 
had  more  money  than  I  had  ever  seen  before." 

"  Didn't  they  have  any  money  in  Australia?" 

"  No,  not  any  to  speak  of.  Well,  I  soon  spent  what  I 
had  in  sight-seeing,  and  when  I  got  ready  to  go  home  I 
did  not  have  money  enough  to  take  me  there,  so 
thought  I  would  ship  and  go  to  the  United  States,  and 
landed  in  Boston.  Somehow  after  getting  ashore  I  got 
lost." 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  that  strangers  get  lost  in  Boston 
very  often." 

"  Yes,  I  did,  and  night  came  on  and  found  me  wander 
ing  around,  when  all  at  once  a  policeman  had  me  by  the 
collar  and  wanted  to  know  what  I  was  loafing  around  for. 
I  told  him  that  I  wanted  to  find  a  boarding-house,  where 
upon  he  told  me  to  go  with  him  and  he  would  find  me 
one." 

"  Well,  did  he  find  you  one  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  Oh,  how  kind  he  was!" 

"  Yes  the  bluecoats  are  very  kind,  it  is  a  part  of  their 
duty  you  know  to  care  for  everything  and  everybody  they 
think  lost.  Well,  I  stopped  at  that  house  over  night,  and 
the  next  morning  went  down  to  the  wharf.  I  found  that 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  2/1 

my  ship  had  sailed  and  left  me  behind,  so  went  back  to  the 
boarding-house,  and  met  a  young  man  there  who  took  to 
me  like  a  brother  and  I  took  to  him,  for,  having  no  brother, 
I  was  glad  to  find  one  in  him.  There  were  a  good  many 
at  the  boarding-house  who  were  going  to  California,  and 
my  friend  was  one  of  them.  He  wanted  me  to  go ;  and 
as  I  had  no  money,  he  bought  two  tickets,  and  we  came 
on  to  New  York  and  came  aboard  this  ship.  Now  comes 
the  strangest  part  of  my  story.  As  I  stood  by  the  side 
of  my  berth,  I  saw  a  lady  on  the  other  side,  and  at  the 
first  glance  thought  I  should  faint.  I  thought  that  my 
mother  had  risen  out  of  her  grave  to  upbraid  me  because 
I  did  not  go  home  and  see  my  father  and  sister.  I  soon 
saw  that  it  was  no  spirit,  but  real  flesh  and  blood.  Hear 
ing  her  talking  French,  I  knew  that  it  was  my  sister,  left 
at  home  a  little  girl." 

"  Bless  my  soul,  wasn't  it  strange  that  you  should  get 
a  berth  so  near  to  hers  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  was  fate  and  nothing  else.  I  soon  saw  her 
companion,  and  then  I  was  sure  that  the  other  was  my 
sister,  for  her  companion  was  my  old  step-mother." 

"  The  old  lady  whom  I  have  seen  with  her  ?  ". 

"Yes;  when  I  recognized  my  sister,  I  wanted  to  fly 
into  her  arms ;  but  after  I  saw  my  step-mother,  I  thought 
best  not  to  reveal  myself  to  them.  Knowing  neither 
would  recognize  me,  I  concluded  to  get  acquainted  with 
my  sister,  and  then  I  would  be  a  brother  and  protector 
until  we  reached  San  Francisco,  where  I  would  get  an 
interpreter  and  make  myself  known  to  her.  You  see,  I 
thought  this  plan  the  best,  not  wanting  to  make  a  scene 
on  board,  and  she,  poor  thing,  does  not  know  that  her 
brother  is  alive." 

"Then  the  man  with  you  is  not  your  real  brother,  but 
simply  a  friend,  that  is  all.  Well,  do  you  know  that  I 
have  taken  quite  a  fancy  to  him?" 

"No,  I  did  not  know  it." 


272  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

"Yes,  and  I  think  he  is  quite  handsome.  Does  he 
know  that  Polly  is  your  real  sister? " 

"No,  I  will  give  him  a  grand  surprise  when  we  get  to 
Frisco,  and  then  when  he  finds  that  she  is  my  real  sister, 
he  might  think  a  good  deal  more  of  her."  I  saw  Mary 
Jane's  eyes  flash  fire  in  a  moment  as  I  said  this.  I 
went  on  :  "Now,  Miss  Mary,  do  not  say  anything  to  my 
friend  or  brother,  as  I  call  him,  because  if  you  did  it 
would  be  no  surprise,  you  know,  when  I  lifted  the  veil 
in  San  Francisco." 

"  No,  I  won't  mention  it,"  she  said. 

I  knew  she  would  not  before  she  said  it,  for  she  showed 
her  thoughts  in  her  eyes  plain  enough. 

Just  at  that  moment  I  saw  Polly's  head  rise  above  the 
hatchway.  I  wanted  her  to  see  me  with  Mary  Jane  with 
out  letting  her  know  that  I  was  aware  she  was  observing 
us,  so  I  pointed  out  over  the  water  to  some  birds  that  sat 
on  the  water,  and  was  trying  to  explain  to  her  the  differ 
ence  between  them  and  a  goose.  When  getting  as  far  as 
goose,  I  felt  a  light  hand  laid  on  my  shoulder,  and  turn 
ing  around  said,  — 

"Why,  here  is  Polly  now." 

I  could  see  that  I  had  kindled  quite  a  brisk  fire  in 
Polly's  eyes.  I  wanted  to  introduce  them  in  such  a  way 
that  each  would  think  that  I  was  the  brother  of  the  other 
girl,  so  jumped  up  and  held  out  my  hands  to  each  and 
said,  "  Mary,  Polly,  my  sister."  They  smiled,  clasped 
hands  and  embraced  each  other.  How  I  wished  at  that 
moment  that  I  was  Mary  Jane  instead  of  the  lying  cur 
that  I  was,  dogging  after  two  girls  and  deceiving  both ! 
Well,  I  left  them  to  enjoy  their  blissful  ignorance,  and 
went  below  to  my  berth,  where  I  found  my  brother  por 
ing  over  a  paper  that  was  a  week  old. 

"  Hulloa,  Jim,"  said  I,  "what  is  there  that  is  news? 
What  are  the  latest  quotations  on  Wall  Sreet  ?" 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  273 

"Well,"  said  he,  "I  think  that  some  of  your  late  in 
vestments  have  sunk  far  below  par,  since  I  saw  you  not 
long  ago  trying  to  make  a  new  deal." 

I  knew  at  once  that  he  had  seen  me  on  deck  with 
Mary  Jane. 

"Oh, "said  I,  "I  suppose  you  are  alluding  to  Mary 
Jane  as  my  new  deal.  Now,  Jim,  I  don't  care  much 
about  Mary  Jane,  because  I  am  solid  with  Polly  you 
know,  although  she  is  a  deuced  pretty  girl,  and  I  thought 
that,  since  you  are  a  little  bashful,  I  would  just  break  the 
ice  a  little  for  you." 

"Well,  you  need  not  trouble  yourself  about  me." 

"Well,  Jim,  you  know  it  would  be  quite  pleasant  to 
have  some  one  with  whom  you  could  pass  away  a  few 
happy  moments.  Do  you  know,  she  told  me  she  had 
taken  quite  a  fancy  to  you." 

"  Did  she  say  that  though  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  that  was  not  all  she  said  either." 

"  Well,  what  else  did  she  say  about  me  ? " 

"  Well,  Jim,  she  said  she  thought  you  handsome." 

He  laid  down  his  paper  and  got  up  and  looked  into  a 
three-cent  glass  that  hung  on  the  wall  and  began  to 
brush  his  hair  a  little,  trying  to  make  himself  present 
able.  I  began  to  think  I  was  telling  him  too  much,  not 
knowing  just  how  things  would  turn  with  Polly. 

"  There  is  but  one  thing,"  I  went  on  to  say,  "  that  I  do 
not  like." 

"  What  is  that,  pray,  that  you  don't  l^ke  about 
her  ?  " 

lt  Well,  you  know  that  she  has  a  funny  name." 

"  What  of  her  name?  I  am  sure  that  Mary  is  a  pretty 
name,  nothing  the  matter  with  that." 

"  But  you  have  not  got  it  all." 

"'Well,  Mary  Jane  then  ;  nothing  wrong  with  that 
either,  is  there  ?  Quite  poetical." 


2/4  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

"  Well,  yes,"  I  replied,  "  but  you  know  she  has  red  hair, 
and  you  know  that  I  always  admired  black." 

"  Well,  who  cares  what  you  admire  ?  You  are  not  every 
body  by  any  means  !  " 

"  Then  again,"  I  went  on,  "  she  is  very  young." 

He  turned  again  to  the  little  glass  and  pulled  two  or 
three  gray  hairs  out  of  his  flowing  locks. 

"  And  again,"  said  I,  "  red-haired  girls  always  want  to 
ride  behind  a  white  horse,  and  you  might  not  be  able  to 
get  a  white  horse  in  San  Francisco." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  would  ten  times  rather  have  a 
white  horse  on  my  hands  than  a  white  elephant." 

I  found  that  my  brother  was  paying  me  back  with 
compound  interest,  so  stopped  at  once. 

We  had  now  arrived  at  Aspinwall.  We  soon  landed 
and  boarded  the  steam  cars,  which  were  to  take  us  to 
Obispo,  a  little  hamlet  about  half-way  across  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  that  being  as  far  as  the  railroad  was  finished. 
We  arrived  at  the  station  late  in  the  evening,  and  slept 
in  our  seats  that  night.  I  was  on  the  watch  that  I  might 
be  ready  to  spring,  at  the  first  alarm,  to  Polly's  side  should 
anything  occur,  and  suppose  my  brother  did  the  same  in 
behalf  ofMaryJane.  Therewere  many  bushrangers  prowl 
ing  around  at  that  time,  on  the  watch  for  returning  Califor- 
nians  with  their  bags  of  gold.  We  got  through  the  night 
without  a  surprise,  and  were  up  early  and  on  the  road  for 
Panama.  There  were  mules  provided  for  the  ladies,  but  we 
men  had  Jo  go  afoot,  and  some  of  us  were  glad  to  hang  to 
the  mules'  tails  before  we  got  through ;  but  we  arrived  in 
time  to  go  aboard  the  boat  that  was  to  take  us  to  the 
Golden  Gate.  When  I  had  found  my  berth,  we  learned 
that  we  were  separated  from  Polly  and  my  amiable  step 
mother;  but  I  soon  hunted  them  up,  finding  them  well 
cared  for  at  a  little  distance  from  our  berth.  I  helped 
Polly  set  up  things  a  little,  and  then  went  on  deck,  meet 
ing  Mary  Jane  face  to  face. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  275 

"  Hulloa,  Mary  Jane,  how  do  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  am  feeling  splendid  this  morning.  The  air  is  so 
pure  on  this  side  that  I  think  I  shall  spend  most  of  the 
trip  on  deck.  I  have  not  seen  much  of  you  of  late." 

"  No,"  I  replied  ;  "  I  have  been  looking  pretty  closely 
after  my  sister." 

"Well,  how  does  she  do?" 

"  Oh,  she  is  all  right." 

She  took  hold  of  my  hands  and  led  me  to  a. settee, 
where  we  were  soon  seated. 

"  I  was  observing  you  two  the  other  day  when  you 
were  at  the  table,  and  I  should  never  take  you  to  be 
brother  and  sister,  as  you  do  not  look  a  bit  alike." 

"Well,  I  know  that  we  don't  look  alike,  but  I  will  tell 
you  how  it  is.  When  I  landed  in  Australia  I  was  very 
young,  and  living  there  so  long,  and  growing  up  with  a 
strange  people,  I  lost  my  own  identity,  and  took  on  the 
characteristics  of  the  people  that  I  was  with." 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  that  there  would  be  some  changes 
in  appearances,  but  I  did  not  think  that  it  would  be  so 
pronounced  as  in  your  case." 

"  Well,  you  see,"  I  went  on,  "  the  climate  has  a  good 
deal  to  do  with  it ;  and  again,  Nature  does  her  works  in 
mysterious  ways,  and  they  are  past  finding  out." 

Just  at  that  moment  I  saw  my  brother  headed  our  way. 
I  felt  a  little  alarmed  lest  he  might  interfere,  as  he  might 
think  me  a  little  too  familiar  with  Mary  Jane.  I  asked 
her  not  to  say  anything  to  my  brother  of  what  we  had 
been  talking. 

"  As  you  know,  I  want  to  see  what  he  will  say  when  I 
introduce  her  to  him  as  my  real  sister,  and  not  a  mutual 
friend,  as  he  now  thinks  she  is.  —  Hulloa,  Jim,"  said  I, 
have  you  got  well  settled  in  our  new  quarters  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  think  everything  is  all  right  now ;  you  had 
better  go  down  yourself  and  see." 


276  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

"  Yes,  Jim,  I  was  just  thinking  that  I  would  go  down"  ; 
and  started  at  once  below. 

Things  were  lovely  after  that.  I  would  flirt  first  with 
one  and  then  with  the  other,  as  I  found  one  on  deck 
while  the  other  was  below  ;  but  took  care  not  to  let  my 
brother  see  me  flirt  with  Mary  Jane.  I  had  concluded  to 
let  him  have  her  the  most  of  the  time. 

One  day  I  saw  my  brother  in  close  conversation  with 
Mary  Jane's  uncle,  and  concluded  that  he  was  pumping 
the  old  man  and  trying  to  find  out  how  many  bonds  the 
old  fellow  had.  I  thought  by  appearances  that  things 
were  not  to  my  brother's  liking,  since  he  left  in  rather  an 
abrupt  way  and  went  below.  I  felt  sorry  for  him,  because 
I  wanted  to  see  him  get  an  anchor  to  windward,  since  I 
thought  that  I  had  got  one  well  to  windward  and  my 
anchor  grounded. 

One  fine  morning  we  sighted  the  Golden  Gate,  and 
that  was  a  signal  for  a  stampede.  Everybody  was  run 
ning  hither  and  thither,  while  carpetbags  and  bundles 
began  to  appear  on  deck  thick  and  fast.  We  soon  ran 
into  the  harbor  and  up  to  the  wharf. 

As  we  made  fast,  I  noticed  among  the  crowd  gathered 
on  the  wharf  a  large  fellow  with  both  hands  raised 
above  his  head  and  singing  out  in  some  foreign  tongue. 
As  soon  as  Polly  caught  sight  of  him  she  began  to  wave 
her  hands  and  yell  at  the  top  of  her  voice,  starting  at 
once  for  the  plank,  which  had  just  been  run  in  on 
deck.  She  reached  the  plank  ahead  of  all  others,  and 
ran  down  to  the  wharf  with  her  shawl  flying  in  the  air 
over  her  head.  I  followed  in  hot  haste,  knowing  the 
critical  moment  had  arrived.  They  were  soon  locked  in 
each  other's  arms,  while  I  stood  there  looking  on,  feeling 
very  unimportant  and  sheepish.  Presently,  after  their 
warm  greeting,  Polly's  shawl  fell  to  the  ground,  carrying 
a  black  and  tangled  mass  with  it.  I  looked  up  from  the 


SEVENTEEN -YEAR- OLD    LAD.  277 

< 

mass  that  lay  in  a  heap  at  Polly's  feet,  and,  horror  of 
horrors !  what  did  I  see  ?  That  beautiful  head  of  curly 
black  hair  become  but  a  barren  waste,  with  only  a  few  gray 
hairs  on  a  shining  bare  pate.  I  thought  myself  dreaming, 
but  Polly  quickly  stooped  down  and  gathered  in  the  mass 
and  drew  the  shawl  over  her  head,  saying  something  to 
her  companion. 

He  turned  to  me  and  said  in  broken  English, — 

"  I  am  much  'blige  you  for  your  'tention  to  my  sister. 
She  you  many  t'anks." 

The  crowd  began  to  laugh,  and  not  wanting  them  to 
think  me  interested  in  the  matter,  I  said, — 

"  Surely,  sir,  you  have  made  a  mistake.  I  never  saw 
either  of  you  before." 

He  took  my  late  heroine  by  the  hand  and  started  up 
the  wharf.  Franky,  coming  along  with  a  big  bundle 
under  each  arm,  started  after  them,  and  they  were  all 
soon  lost  to  view  in  the  dust  that  rolled  up  behind  them. 

Upon  emerging  from  the  cloud  I  looked  for  my 
brother.  He  stood  on  deck  with  both  hands  at  his  sides 
to  keep  from  splitting  with  laughter.  I  sang  out, — 

"  What  in  thunder  are  you  standing  there  for  grinning 
like  a  monkey  in  a  fit  ?  " 

He  came  down  with  a  carpetbag  in  each  hand,  but  I 
was  too  blind  just  then  to  see  either.  I  sang  out, — 

"  Where  is  our  baggage?  " 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  saw  yours  just  now  in  the  hands  of 
a  burly  flunky  going  up  the  wharf  leaving  a  big  cloud 
behind  them." 

Determined  to  get  one  last  shot  at  him,  I  sang  out,- — 

"  Well,  since  you  have  seen  so  much,  did  you  see  any 
thing  red  in  that  cloud  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  but  I  thought  it  looked  black  enough 
to  be  a  thundercloud." 

"Well,"  said  I,  "  it  was,  and  is  full  of  red  lightning, 
and  will  strike  some  one  soon." 


278  THE    ADVENTURES  OF   A 

"  I  pointed  up  to  a  little  white  house  and  told  him  to  go 
up  there,  as  it  was  kept  by  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  would 
soon  follow.  He  proceeded,  and  going  behind  a  pile  of 
planks  I  kicked  myself  until  black  and  blue.  This  over, 
I  pulled  myself  out  and  went  to  my  friend's  house 
also. 

My  brother  was  standing  in  the  doorway.  He  ex 
claimed, — 

"Why,  Jack,  what  is  the  matter  with  you?  You 
look  as  if  you  had  been  chewed  by  dogs.  Have  you 
met  that  big  brother  whom  I  have  heard  you  talking 
about,  or  has  that  lightning  struck  you  ? " 

"  No,  Jim,  neither." 

"Well,  then,  do  tell  me  how  it  happened." 

"  Well  Jim,  it  was  like  this.  You  know  that  when  I 
was  in  California  before  I  got  into  a  poker  game  with  a 
big  colored  man.  We  had  a  jack  pot  of  five  dollars,  and 
some  one  saw  my  hand  and  told  the  fellow  that  I  had 
four  aces,  and  he  laid  down  four  kings  ;  and  when  he  saw 
my  hand  and  found  out  that  my  four  aces  were  two 
deuces,  he  wanted  me  to  divide  the  pot,  and  I  would  not, 
and  then  he  told  me  that  he  would  take  it  out  of  my  hide 
when  he  got  a  good  chance.  I  soon  left  the  country  and 
had  forgotten  all  about  it ;  and  when  I  went  behind  that 
pile  of  planks,  who  should  be  sitting  there  but  that 
colored  man  !  When  he  saw  me  he  got  up  and  said, '  Ah, 
Jack,  you  are  the  very  man  I  want  to  see';  and  he  quickly 
had  me  by  the  nape  of  the  neck  and  mopped  the  wharf 
as  long  as  he  wanted  to,  and  then  gave  me  a  kick  and  told 
me  to  get  out  or  he  would  throw  me  overboard  ;  so  I  got 
away,  and  here  is  what  there  is  left  of  me." 

My  brother  was  not  a  bad  fellow,  and  he  would  always 
take  my  part  when  he  thought  me  overmatched.  He 
pulled  off  his  coat  and  said,  — 

"Where  is  the  fellow?  I  will  take  the  wind  out  of 
his  sails  in  two  minutes  by  the  watch." 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  279 

"  Oh,"  said  I,  "he  has  gone  up  the  wharf  and  is  now 
out  of  sight.'' 

"  Well,  if  you  are  satisfied,  then  let  him  go." 

We  just  then  saw  Mary  Jane  and  her  uncle  go  by.  We 
mechanically  turned  our  heads  the  other  way  as  they 
passed.  That  was  the  last  that  we  ever  saw  of  Mary  Jane 
or  her  friends. 

Thus  ended  my  fondest  hopes  of  realizing  on  a  large 
investment,  not  in  smoke,  but  in  dust,  and  I  am  sorry  to 
say  that  it  was  not  in  gold  dust. 

Oh  !  woman,  woman,  with  all  thy  charms  of  art  and  grace, 

Man  knoweth  not  thy  value  by  beauty  of  thy  face  ; 

Though  allied  to  him  from  earliest  dawn  of  light  on  earth, 

Whence  may  he  then  learn  thy  true  worth? 

Must  he  believe  the  story,  weird  and  old, 

That  many  say  is  true,  so  oft  it  has  been  told, 

Thou  art  a  single  rib,  from  Adam  taken  at  birth? 

Then  moulded  wert  thou,  as  a  potter  moulds  his  clay  ? 

And  art  thou  but  a  tinted,  frail,  and  brittle  vase, 

Holding  summer  flowers,  as  changed  from  day  to  day, 

Arranged  with  varying  care  to  suit  each  time  and  taste  ? 

Nay,  loudly  a  voice  resounding,  disproves  the  ancient  ban, 

Thou  art,  indeed,  the  better  half  of  man  ; 

Thou  art  not  a  wilted  rose,  nor  yet  a  bric-a-brac, 

But  wast  given  unto  man,  as  mother  of  the  race. 

Who  then  can  tell  thy  value,  on  this  broad  earth, 

Since  time  alone  can  reveal  to  man  thy  true  worth  ? 


28O  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 


CHAPTER  X. 

LEAVES  FRISCO  FOR  THE  GOLD  MINES CARSON  CREEK  MIN 
ING  CAMP THE  VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE  OF  CALI 
FORNIA  AND  THEIR  METHODS VARYING  FORTUNES  AT 

MINING TRIES  NEW  MINING  CAMPS    IN    BRITISH  COLUM 
BIA TURNS     TRADER CONCILIATING    THE     INDIANS 

WINTERING  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS STARVING   AND  NAKED 

INDIANS ON    SHORT    RATIONS PLENTY    OF     FOOD    FOR 

ONE  MEAL  AT  LAST THREE  UNSUCCESSFUL  ATTEMPTS  TO 

FIND  THE  GREAT    SOURCE    OF   THE    RIVER    GOLD GREAT 

AMOUNT     OF    GOLD    AFTERWARDS    FOUND   AT   SOURCE    OF 

RIVER DISCONTENT   LEADS     TO    RETURN    TO    BOSTON 

FINALLY    SETTLES     DOWN     TO    LIVE    IN     CHARLESTOWN 

PLACER  MINING RETROSPECT  — -  CONCLUSION. 

WE  started  for  Stockton  on  the  day  of  our  arrival  at 
Frisco,  reaching  there  that  night.  The  following  morn 
ing  we  started  for  the  mines,  and  the  second  night 
brought  us  to  my  old  friend  the  pirate  captain.  The 
first  mining  camp  that  we  reached  was  Angel's  Camp. 
We  were  without  money;  but  finding  my  credit  yet  good, 
I  went  to  a  man  with  whom  I  formerly  traded  when  in 
the  country,  and  bought  a  kit  of  tools  and  started  for 
Carson's  Creek,  a  distance  of  three  miles.  There  I  met 
many  of  my  old  associates  and  renewed  my  acquaint 
ance.  We  worked  around  Carson's  Creek  a  month  or 
two,  and  made  about  twelve  hundred  dollars.  About 
that  time  the  party  for  whom  I  formerly  worked,  building 
the  high  fluming,  hearing  I  was  back  in  the  country 
again,  sent  for  me  to  come  up  to  Murphy's  Camp  and  go 
to  work  for  them.  They  were  then  paying  seventy-five 
dollars  a  month,  but  offered  me  one  hundred  dollars  and 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  28  I 

board.  Mining  had  become  rather  dull,  so  my  brother 
and  I  went  to  work  for  the  company,  and  remained  about 
two  months,  and  then  went  back  to  mining  again. 

Finally  my  brother  went  south,  believing  that  he  could 
-do  better.  In  a  few  days  he  returned  and  reported  that 
he  had  found  a  better  camp  and  better  mining  also,  so 
we  packed  off  for  Coultersville,  which  was  the  name  of 
the  camp. 

At  that  time  the  Vigilance  Committee  was  organized 
at  San  Francisco ;  and  it  was  none  too  soon,  as  the 
rougher  element  throughout  the  mining  region  was  un 
controlled  and  going  to  great  length  in  their  unlawful 
acts.  The  shooting  of  a  Mr.  King,  the  editor  of  one  of 
the  daily  papers,  by  a  man  named  Casey,  was  the  imme 
diate  cause  of  the  forming  of  the  committee.  We  re 
ceived  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin  daily,  hence  kept 
pretty  well  posted. 

Much  that  this  committee  did  has  passed  from  my 
memory.  It  was  said  that  my  old  friend,  Billy  Mulligan, 
was  banished,  and  Yankee  Sullivan  was  jailed,  but  on 
the  next  morning  was  found  dead,  lying  in  a  pool  of 
blood  with  a  case  knife  by  his  side,  and  a  cut  in  one  of 
his  arms,  having  bled  himself  to  death. 

It  was  believed  at  that  time  that  Yankee  Sullivan  had 
been  a  convict  in  Australia,  but  had  run  away  and  come 
to  the  United  States  and  drifted  to  California.  The 
vigilants  were  intending  to  send  him  back.  He,  learn 
ing  of  that  fact,  preferred  death  to  further  servitude  in 
that  far-off  country,  therefore  committed  suicide.  A 
number  of  the  same  class  of  men,  from  the  same  country, 
were  hung.  On  one  occasion  three  or  four  were  hung 
from  one  beam  ;  and  when  the  committee  were  ready  to 
swing  them  off,  one  of  the  number  sung  out,  "  Here  we 
go,  gals,"  and  they  entered  eternity,  while  those  words 
were  yet  ringing  in  the  ears  of  the  spectators,  of  which 
there  were  many,  both  male  and  female. 


282  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

At  Coultersville  the  claim  that  my  brother  had  staked 
out  prospected  pretty  well,  but  water  was  scarce,  and  to 
work  the  claim  profitably  we  needed  to  ground  sluice 
about  four  feet  of  top  dirt,  therefore  I  built  a  reservoir 
that  would  overflow  about  one  acre,  it  taking  me  two 
months  alone  in  building  the  dam,  while  my  brother 
worked  in  town  at  four  dollars  a  day,  which  paid  our  ex 
penses  during  the  time.  I  dug  a  ditch  to  the  claim,  and 
when  the  water  came  we  sluiced  the  claim  down  and 
went  to  work  with  sluice  boxes,  when,  after  a  week's 
work,  we  found  the  claim  would  not  pay  expenses. 

In  prospecting  we  had  hit  the  only  pay  dirt  in  the 
claim,  and  before  abandoning  it  a  freshet  came  and  swept 
away  my  two  months'  work  in  less  than  two  hours, 
although  I  had  a  three-foot  floodgate,  which  proved  not 
half  large  enough. 

After  that  my  brother  got  discouraged  and  soon  left 
for  home,  I  remaining  a  little  longer  in  the  country. 

Going  home  one  day  from  another  camp  I  saw  a  tall 
man  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the  road,  and  im 
mediately  recognized  that  well-remembered  form,  Long 
Jim,  whom  I  had  left  a  few  years  before  at  Hobartstown, 
Van  Diemen's  Land,  dealing  in  firewood.  Like  the  rest 
of  mankind,  he  had  taken  the  fever,  sold  out,  and  come 
to  California.  At  this  time  he  remained  a  few  weeks 
with  me  before  we  parted.  He  was  the  last  of  my  many 
shipmates  that  I  met  with,  being  the  tenth  one  inside  of 
ten  years.  All  were  many  thousand  miles  from  where  I 
first  met  them,  and  all  in  a  different  business  to  that  en 
gaged  in  when  I  first  met  them. 

At  that  time  the  excitement  was  at  its  height  about  the 
Eraser  River  mines,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  I  went 
there  with  the  crowd.  Notwithstanding  all  my  experience, 
I  had  not  got  over  the  habit  of  running  after  all  the  new 
strikes,  always  having  the  idea  that  I  would  yet  strike 
that  bonanza  looked  forward  to  so  long. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  283 

Returning  to  San  Francisco,  I  there  took  passage  to  Vic 
toria,  British  Columbia,  which  is  on  Vancouver  Island, 
lying  a  few  miles  off  the  coast  of  British  Columbia. 

Miners  at  that  time  appeared  to  be  as  anxious  to  get 
out  of  the  mines  and  to  Frisco  as  they  were  in  1849  to 
get  to  them.  Every  stage  returning  was  loaded,  and 
looked  like  a  swarm  of  bees ;  all  wanted  to  get  there 
first. 

We  arrived  at  Victoria  in  good  time,  and  found  every 
one  alive  with  business.  I  bought  an  outfit  and  em 
barked  on  board  of  a  little  steamboat  that  plied  between 
Victoria  and  Fort  Hope,  a  landing  about  seventy  miles 
up  the  river. 

We  soon  landed,  filled  with  hope,  and  began  to  pros 
pect  the  sand  bars.  Before  my  first  pan  of  dirt  was  all 
washed  out,  I  thought  I  was  about  to  realize  my  fondest 
hopes.  When  the  water  was  washed  over  the  dirt,  it  ap 
peared  to  be  half  gold.  I  settled  it  to  the  bottom  of  the 
pan  by  shaking  the  pan  a  little,  and  then  washed  the  dirt 
carefully  off,  while,  as  the  sand  grew  gradually  less,  my 
hopes  ran  high,  until  finally,  nearing  the  bottom,  I 
shook  the  pan,  which  caused  the  gold  to  spread  out,  and 
the  display  added  to  my  ardor.  I  thought  that  before 
washing  the  dirt  all  out  there  might  be  about  three  or 
four  dollars  ;  but  when  the  lot  was  washed,  fifty  cents 
seemed  nearer  its  worth,  and  even  at  that  rate  it  would 
pay  well  to  sluice  ;  with  plenty  of  water  near  at  hand,  per 
haps  one  hundred  dollars  a  day. 

Taking  my  gold  into  camp,  my  mates  eagerly  flocked 
around  to  see  the  result  of  the  prospecting  ;  each  making 
a  guess  what  it  would  weigh,  the  guesses  being  as  high 
as  two  dollars  down  to  fifty  cents. 

The  gold  scales  were  adjusted,  and  we  soon  had  the 
stuff  in  them.  A  two-dollar  weight  was  put  in,  and  down 
went  that  end  of  the  beam,  and  down  went  our  hopes 


284  THE    ADVENTURES    OF  A 

with  it ;  a  one-dollar  weight  was  tried,  and  yet  that 
end  hugged  the  table.  Becoming  desperate,  I  removed 
the  weight  and  put  in  a  one-cent  weight,  determined  to 
end  the  suspense,  and  the  end  of  the  beam  that  had 
seemed  to  be  frozen  down  flew  up.  When  we  got  the 
thing  to  balance,  we  had  four  cents  in  pure  gold. 

Some  of  the  boys  began  to  look  over  their  loose 
change  to  see  if  they  had  enough  to  take  them  back  to 
San  Francisco,  while  others  began  to  talk  about  home 
and  the  dear  ones  left  behind.  Sick  as  we  all  were,  by 
keeping  quiet  a  few  days  we  improved  a  little,  and  finally 
regained  our  strength  and  courage  again.  By  examining 
the  gold  with  a  lens,  I  found  that  it  had  been  beaten  while 
travelling  in  the  rivers  until  it  was  as  thin  as  gold  leaf, 
and  concluded  that  it  had  travelled  a  long  way  and  that 
the  fountain  head  from  whence  it  came  must  be  near  the 
head  waters  of  the  river.  The  banks  of  the  river  rose 
in  terraces  back  from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred  yards, 
which  were  composed  of  sand  and  gravel  deposited  by 
the  wash  of  the  river.  Gold  could  be  found  in  about  all 
of  this  mass  of  gravel  to  a  greater  or  less  degree.  The 
gold  would  be  little  else  than  small  atoms,  and  from  these 
small  atoms  running  down  to  particles  only  to  be  seen 
with  a  powerful  glass. 

The  head  man  of  that  section  of  the  country  was  a  Mr. 
MacLane.  He  was  agent  for  the  Hudson  Bay  Trading 
Company,  and  had  been  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  about 
thirty  years.  I  learned  through  him  that  he  used  to  get 
considerable  gold  from  the  Indians  up  at  a  place  near 
the  head  of  Fraser  River  called  Fort  Alexander,  the 
gold  coming  mostly  from  a  creek  called  Williams  Creek, 
which  emptied  into  the  river,  and  that  the  gold  was  coarse. 

He  said  that  in  trading  he  would  put  the  gold  into  a 
gun  barrel,  and  then  put  in  the  rod  and  measure  with  his 
fingers  the  length  of  the  rod  above  the  barrel.  He  would 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR- OLD    LAD.  285 

then  empty  out  the  gold  and  fill  with  powder  to  the  same 
height,  and  exchange  the  powder  for  the  gold,  even 
measure. 

What  MacLane  said  confirmed  me  regarding  the 
fountain  head  being  far  off,  and  convinced  me  that  it 
would  require  a  long  tramp  to  reach  it. 

Some  eight  or  ten  of  us  made  arrangements  with  Mac- 
Lane  to  furnish  us  with  horses  to  pack  our  kit,  and  an 
Indian  as  a  guide  to  pilot  us  through  the  country  up  to 
Thompson's  River,  which  formed  a  junction  with  Fraser 
River,  about  one  hundred  miles  above  Fort  Hope.  We 
took  that  route  in  preference  to  going  up  the  river. 

This  river  cuts  through  the  Cascade  range  of  moun 
tains,  which  is  a  continuation  of  the  chain  which  runs  the 
entire  length  of  this  continent.  In  South  America  the 
Andes,  in  Mexico  and  Colorada  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in 
California  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  and  in  British 
Columbia  the  Cascade,  and  how  much  farther  they  con 
tinue  I  know  not.  We  arrived  at  our  journey's  end  in- 
about  a  week,  and  found  a  little  gold  on  Thompson's 
River,  but  not  enough  to  pay.  We  had  struck  Thompson's 
about  ten  miles  above  the  junction  of  Fraser,  and  con 
tinued  down  to  the  forks,  where  the  gold  was  about  the 
same  as  at  Fort  Hope.  After  knocking  around  a  week 
or  two,  eating  horse  flesh,  and  paying  fifty  cents  a  pound 
for  it,  I  concluded  to  go  down  the  river,  prospecting  on  the 
way.  Arrived  at  Fort  Yale,  which  town  is  about  ten  miles 
above  Fort  Hope,  I  met  a  large  number  of  miners  going 
up  the  river  with  their  kits  on  their  backs,  with  some  few 
canoes  which  they  had  got  above  the  rapids  by  lifting 
them  out  of  the  water  and  carrying  them  half  a  mile  or 
so  around  the  rapids.  Fort  Hope  was  as  high  up  the 
river  as  the  steamboats  could  go,  and  Fort  Yale  as  high 
as  anything  could  get  except  a  canoe,  and  it  was  with 
much  difficulty  that  canoes  got  farther  up  the  river. 
Many  that  made  the  attempt  were  lost. 


286  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

Finally,  I  bought  a  few  trinkets  and  a  horse,  and 
started  up  the  river  to  trade  with  the  Indians,  and  man 
aged  to  peddle  out  my  wares  and  mine  a  little  at  the 
same  time ;  and  as  my  bank  account  increased,  I  obtained 
a  fresh  supply,  thus  spending  a  part  of  that  summer.  At 
Fort  Yale,  where  I  had  been  stopping  a  few  weeks,  one 
day  there  was  a  large  arrival  of  miners  from  up  the  river. 
They  reported  that  the  Indians  were  killing  the  miners, 
cutting  off  their  heads  and  throwing  them  into  the  river. 
The  miners  kept  coming  into  town,  until  we  had  several 
hundred  added  to  the  inhabitants.  The  week  previous 
to  this  influx  we  had  seen  several  headless  trunks  float 
ing  past  the  town,  but  did  not  know  the  cause  until  hear 
ing  the  report  of  the  miners. 

No  one  appeared  to  know  just  what  to  do.  I  con 
cluded  that  something  ought  to  be  done,  because  we 
could  not  afford  to  let  a  few  Indians  drive  us  all  out  of 
the  country;  so  finding  a  man  that  could  talk  pretty  well 
for  spokesman,  told  him  what  ought  to  be  done,  which 
was  to  get  all  the  miners  together,  form  ourselves  into  a 
company,  take  a  couple  of  weeks'  supply  of  food  and  go 
up  the  river  and  treat  with  the  Indians,  and  find  out  what 
caused  the  Indians  to  be  so  troublesome.  Past  experi 
ence  with  natives  and  Indians  had  taught  me  that,  as  a 
general  rule,  they  will  not  trouble  the  whites  if  treated  as 
well  as  you  would  do  your  dog,  hence  believed  that  the 
miners  had,  in  some  way,  wronged  them. 

The  man  that  I  selected  to  take  the  stump  harangued 
his  audience  about  half  an  hour,  and  the  miners  con 
cluded  to  form  themselves  into  squads  and  go  up  the 
river,  which  we  did  in  less  than  two  hours  after  I  made 
the  motion.  We  marched  over  a  long  and  rough  trail, 
and  the  second  day  out  came  to  an  Indian  camp.  We 
found  the  Indians  friendly,  and  willing  to  treat  with  us. 
They  said  that  they  did  not  want  to  be  disturbed  in  their 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  287 

own  haunts,  and  they  wanted  the  whites  to  keep  their 
word.  They  claimed  that  many  of  the  miners  had  de 
ceived  them.  They  had  packed  heavy  loads  many  miles 
up  the  river,  and  then  the  miners  would  only  give  them 
half  what  they  had  agreed  to  pay,  and  if  they  complained 
they  would  get  a  kick  and  be  driven  off,  and  in  some 
cases  without  any  pay  at  all.  We  assured  them  that 
kind  of  treatment  would  be  stopped,  and  we  gave  them 
a  little  tobacco  and  a  few  small  trinkets,  after  which  they 
agreed  to  be  at  peace.  We  continued  on  up  the  river,  and 
made  similar  arrangements  with  the  rest  of  the  little  tribes 
on  the  river.  We  came  to  one  bar  that  the  miners  had 
deserted,  and  I  found,  after  prospecting,  that  it  paid  pretty 
well,  so  concluded  to  remain  and  let  the  others  go  on  up 
the  stream.  An  old  log-cabin  and  a  brush  tent  on  the 
bar,  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the  miners,  became 
my  domicile.  The  cabin  was  about  ten  feet  square  and 
the  walls  three  feet  high,  with  logs  laid  over  the  top,  and 
boughs  piled  on  top  of  them.  It  afforded  a  good  shelter 
in  dry  weather,  but  was  leaky  in  wet.  A  hole  three  feet 
square,  cut  in  one  side,  answered  for  both  door  and  win 
dow.  I  slept  the  first  night  in  that  pen,  but  found  it  cold, 
since  I  could  get  no  fire  near  enough  to  keep  me  warm, 
so  the  next  night  took  to  the  brush  tent,  the  end  of  which 
was  open,  and  by  building  a  little  fire  at  that  end,  found 
that  I  could  keep  myself  warm  at  night. 

The  Indians  used  to  come  around  at  night  when  I  was 
cooking  my  supper,  and  then,  after  I  had  finished,  they 
would  get  into  their  canoes  and  cross  the  river  to  their 
own  camp.  They  supplied  me  with  salmon.  A  half- 
dozen  matches  would  pay  for  a  large  fish  that  would  last 
me  two  days,  with  a  little  flour.  Back  a  few  rods  in  the 
forest,  while  gathering  dry  wood,  I  found  lots  of  flour 
and  mining  tools,  which  the  miners  had  buried,  but  the 
flour  was  not  fit  to  eat,  so  my  find  did  not  help  me  much. 


288  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

In  about  a  week  the  party  that  went  up  the  river  to 
make  treaties  with  the  Indians  returned,  having  accom 
plished  their  work.  They  went  on  down,  while  I  re 
mained  with  my  dusky  neighbors  another  week,  and  then 
followed  them.  On  my  way  down  I  passed  through  a 
canyon  that  could  only  be  avoided  by  going  several  miles 
around.  To  get  into  the  canyon  I  had  to  slide  over  a  cliff 
down  an  almost  perpendicular  crevice,  one  hundred  feet, 
and  the  exit  from  the  place  was  about  as  hazardous.  I 
arrived  at  the  cliff  about  an  hour  before  sundown.  It 
would  require  at  least  two  hours  to  pass  through  the  can 
yon.  I  slid  down  the  narrow  crevice,  not  more  than 
three  feet  wide  and  in  some  places  less  than  two  feet 
wide,  and  getting  into  the  valley,  concluded  to  camp  for 
the  night.  I  built  a  little  fire  by  the  side  of  the  trail,  ate 
my  luncheon,  and  after  dark  spread  my  blankets  for  the 
night.  About  midnight  I  was  awakened  by  voices, 
and  sprang  up,  and  before  me  stood  three  Indians. 
Stirring  my  fire  and  putting  on  some  dry  brush,  it  soon 
blazed  up,  and  I  discovered  the  Indians  wore  a  very 
friendly  look  on  their  dusky  faces.  I  soon  filled  my  pipe 
and  gave  them  a  smoke  all  around.  The  Hudson  Bay 
Company  had  introduced  a  jargon  among  the  natives 
which  was  very  easy  to  learn,  and  I  had  picked  up  a  little 
of  it.  So  after  they  had  smoked  and  chatted  awhile  they 
went  on  again  rejoicing,  while  I  went  to  sleep  and  slept 
till  daylight  undisturbed.  At  daylight  my  tramp  was 
again  resumed,  and  the  canyon  left  behind. 

A  few  miles  below  the  canyon  I  met  half  a  dozen 
miners  and  two  Indians  going  down  to  Fort  Yale,  and 
joined  them.  We  soon  came  to  where  the  river  had  cut 
its  way  through  the  mountain  and  had  left  walls  on  each 
side,  nearly  perpendicular,  five  hundred  feet  high. 
We  could  avoid  that  dangerous  place  only  by  going 
around  about  a  mile.  Part  of  the  company  went 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  289 

around,  and  two  white  men  that  remained  with  me  sent 
their  kits  around,  while  I  kept  my  kit  with  me,  thinking 
that  if  I  went  over  the  cliff  and  down  into  the  river  my 
kit  could  go  with  me.  I  had  a  pick,  pan,  and  shovel, 
seven  dry  salmon  and  two  fresh  ones,  one  pair  of  blan 
kets,  and  a  few  cooking  utensils.  They  were  lashed  to 
my  back,  and  left  my  hands  free  for  use.  The  two  In 
dians  remained  with  us,  and  carried  only  an  old  gun  each. 
The, two  Indians  started  first,  and  had  to  hand  their  guns 
to  each  other  in  order  to  use  their  hands.  The  Indians 
went  up  all  right,  and  one  of  my  companions  made  the 
trip  all  right.  The  second  miner  started  up,  with  myself 
directly  after  him.  The  height  here  was  about  fifty 
feet.  We  then  ascended  to  a  bench,  and  the  trail  that  we 
travelled  to  get  there  had  gradually  risen  until  the  spot 
where  we  began  to  climb  the  steep  cliff  was  about  five 
hundred  feet  above  the  river.  It  was  so  high  that  pine- 
trees  on  the  narrow  banks  of  the  river  looked  like  little 
shrubs.  The  river  at  that  point  had  narrowed  down  to 
about  a  hundred  feet  wide,  consequently  was  very  rapid 
and  appeared  to  be  like  a  pot  boiling.  My  man  climbed 
slowly  along,  I  bringing  up  the  rear.  We  had  about  the 
same  foot  and  hand  hold  that  the  Australian  natives 
have  when  walking  up  a  tree  on  the  bark.  We  had  got 
up  about  half-way  when  my  friend  turned  his  head  and 
looked  down  the  yawning  abyss.  The  sight  was  so  ap 
palling  that  he  lost  his  presence  of  mind  and  sang  out, 
"I  shall  fall,  I  shall  fall!" 

I  sang  out,  "  Look  at  the  rock,  damn  you  !  " 
He  turned  his  gaze  toward    the  ledge,  and  finally  got 
up,  with  me  following  him. 

The  situation  was  so  desperate  that  desperate  means 
were  necessary  to  avoid  the  catastrophe  which  was  im 
pending.  My  head  was  level  with  his  feet,  and  my  large 
pack  reached  out  behind  ;  and  with  my  pack  and  body 


290  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

• 

hanging  over  the  cliff,  it  will  easily  be  seen  that  if  he 
went  I  surely  would  have  gone  with  him,  flying  through 
the  air  to  our  deaths.  After  all  danger  was  passed,  I 
looked  back  and  viewed  the  situation,  and  determined, 
that  if  we  came  to  another  pass  like  that,  to  go  around  it 
if  the  distance  was  a  thousand  miles.  We  pushed  on, 
finding  no  more  very  hard  passes,  and  in  due  time 
reached  Fort  Yale. 

It  was  getting  toward  fall  by  that  time,  nevertheless  I 
decided  to  make  a  few  trips  up  the  river,  carrying  flour 
to  sell  to  the  miners,  who  were  ready  to  pay  a  good 
price  for  it.  Those  intending  to  remain  through  the 
winter  high  up  the  river  were  laying  in  their  winter 
supply  of  provisions.  At  Thompson's  Forks,  a  distance 
of  a  hundred  miles  above  Fort  Yale,  flour  was  worth 
eighty  cents  a  pound.  I  began  carrying  flour  up  to  that 
place  on  my  back,  taking  two  fifty-pound  sacks  at  a  load, 
with  a  small  supply  of  grub  to  live  on,  and  would  make 
the  trip  in  four  days  over  that  terrible  rough  trail,  avoid 
ing  the  worst  places  by  going  around.  Selling  my  first 
load,  I  returned  for  another,  but  did  not  make  many  trips 
like  this,  for  it  was  too  hard  work. 

Frequently,  when  travelling  up  the  river,  entering  a 
camp  of  Indians,  I  would  stop  awhile  with  them  to  rest, 
and  as  soon  as  my  pack  was  laid  down,  the  chief  would 
untie  all  my  bundles,  overhaul  my  traps,  hunting  for 
powder,  which  I  seldom  carried,  knowing  too  well  what 
they  wanted  it  for.  Notwithstanding  our  treaties  made 
with  them,  a  miner  would  occasionally  be  missing,  and 
we  dared  not  sell  them  powder.  On  one  occasion  the 
little  ones,  seeing  my  budget  of  food,  began  to  cry,  and 
I  gave  them  some  bread  and  meat,  which  stopped  their 
squalling.  Ever  after  that,  going  into  their  camp,  I 
would  have  to  stop,  eat  salmon  with  them,  and  exchange 
food  with  them. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  29  I 

Many  people  would  have  been  disgusted  even  to  ap 
proach  within  five  rods  of  their  camps,  since  their  fish 
and  game  were  dressed  near  where  cooked,  and  nothing 
was  cleaned  away.  The  accumulation  would  emit  an 
odor  rank  enough  to  be  recognized  afar  off.  While 
many  would  shun  such  camps,  it  was  not  so  with  me. 
On  meeting  the  Indians,  I  was  an  Indian  for  the  time 
being.  By  adopting  that  method  they  readily  took  to 
me,  and  I  have  never  been  treated  better  by  any  white 
people  than  by  the  wild  tribes  in  the  many  different  parts 
of  the  world  visited  by  me,  and  have  found  the  old  say 
ing  true,  "  When  you  are  with  the  Romans,  do  as  the 
Romans  do." 

As  long  ago  as  King  George's  time,  the  English  and 
Americans  were  trading  with  the  Indians  on  the  north 
coast.  The  English  dealt  pretty  fairly  with  the  Indians, 
while  the  Americans  used  to  play  Yankee  tricks  on  them ; 
sometimes  the  Indians,  finding  out  they  were  being 
cheated  by  the  Americans,  after  that  the  natives  dis 
liked  the  Americans  and  liked  the  English,  being  par 
ticularly  prejudiced  against  Boston  men.  When  meeting 
a  white  man,  they  ask  him,  nearly  the  first  question,  if  he 
is  a  Boston  man  or  a  King  George  man.  If  you  tell  him 
that  you  are  a  Boston  man,  they  reply,  "  Wake  close 
Boston  man,"  meaning  in  their  jargon  that  a  Boston  man 
is  no  good  ;  but  if  you  tell  him  that  you  are  a  King 
George  man,  he  will  say,  "  High  as  close  King  George 
man,"  which  means,  King  George  man  very  good.  He 
is  ready  and  willing  to  serve  a  King  George  man,  but 
will  have  little  to  do  with  and  rather  avoids  a  Boston  man. 

An  American  myself,  yet  I  have  found  that  the  name 
"Yankee  "  has  a  taint  in  many  parts  of  the  world,  while 
the  word  "  Englishman  "  has  a  bad  reputation  in  many 
other  parts  of  the  world,  more  particularly  so  in  the 
eastern  hemisphere  than  in  the  western. 


2Q2  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

Mr.  MacLane,  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  certainly 
took  advantage  of  the  Indians  when  giving  four  fingers 
of  powder  for  four  fingers  of  gold  ;  but  there  were  no 
Yankees  in  that  camp  to  run  opposition  to  him,  and  the 
company  had  gained  the  confidence  of  their  customers. 
The  English  were  more  crafty  than  the  Americans,  and 
by  their  craft  saved  their  good  name,  while  the  Ameri 
cans  went  in  too.  rash  at  the  beginning,  and  through  that 
lost  caste.  I  have  learned  that  none  of  the  savage 
people  who  inhabit  this  earth  will  be  the  first  to  dispute 
the  approach  of  the  white  man.  They  rather  invite  him 
and  treat  him  well  if  they  are  treated  well,  but  they  have 
manhood  enough  to  resent  abuse. 

After  extensive  travel  among  savages,  and  carefully 
studying  the  habits  of  savage  people,  it  seems  to  me 
that  these  children  of  the  forest  are  the  happiest  people 
on  earth  and  the  most  contented  with  their  lot,  whether 
it  be  cast  in  the  tropics  or  in  the  Frigid  Zone.  The 
homes  of  the  savages  in  the  tropics  are  indeed  cast  in 
Paradise.  Who  that  ever  visited  any  of  those  islands  in 
the  Pacific  denies  this  fact?  From  the  earth  springs 
forth  spontaneously  all  that  can  tempt  the  palate,  and 
all  that  is  necessary  is  to  stretch  forth  the  hand  and 
pluck  and. eat.  What  more  do  we  get  that  is  of  any  real 
value  to  man  ?  The  natives  in  the  north  do  not  fare 
as  well  as  those  of  tropical  countries,  but  the  large  rivers 
afford  fish,  and  the  forest,  game  and  wild  fruit.  In 
winter,  living  in  dugouts  under  ground,  with  a  good 
supply  of  dry  fish  and  fruit,  they  are  happy,  and  only 
want  to  be  let  alone. 

How  ruthlessly  they  have  been  dealt  with!  The 
advance  guard  of  civilization  is  upon  them.  The  Indians' 
buffalo  have  vanished,  the  salmon  has  been  cleaned  out 
of  their  rivers  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  world, 
while  the  game  has  been  killed  or  driven  off,  and  now 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  293 

little  remains  but  wild  berries  for  the  Indian  to  live  upon. 
Civilization  means  annihilation  when  applied  to  these 
people;  and  a  climb  to  any  elevated  point  once  the  land 
mark  of  some  Indian  nation,  and  gazing  over  the  broad 
expanse,  you  will  find  these  words  force  themselves  un 
bidden  to  your  lips,  "  Lo  the  poor  Indian,  oh  where,  oh 
where  hast  thou  gone,  thou  once  mighty  race !  " 

After  a  few  trips  backing  flour  to  the  miners,  I  went 
to  work  at  carpentering,  in  company  with  another.  We 
built  a  log-hut  which  was  used  as  a  house  to  live  and  a 
shop  to  work  in.  We  had  plenty  of  work  at  fair  pay. 

Occasionally  some  one  would  come  down  the  river  and 
report  a  rich  strike  on  some  bar  well  up  the  river,  but  I 
kept  on  at  work,  paying  little  attention  to  the  reports. 
Winter  had  fairly  set  in,  and  there  was  plenty  of  snow.  In 
the  first  part  of  January,  hearing  that  at  a  place  called 
Bridge  River,  a  small  stream  entering  the  Eraser  River 
some  hundred  and  fifty  miles  above  Fort  Yale,  coarse  gold 
and  some  nuggets  had  been  struck  worth  as  high  as  fifty 
dollars,  I  sold  out  to  my  partner,  sacked  up  two  weeks'" 
supply  of  food,  and  on  the  twelfth  day  of  January  started 
up  the  river.  Starting  late  in  the  afternoon  I  did  not  get 
many  miles  away,  and  camped  at  a  cabin  for  the  night, 
and  next  morning  found  about  three  feet  of  snow  had 
fallen  during  the  night,  which,  with  what  was  on  the 
ground  before,  gave  me  about  four  and  one  half  feet  to 
travel  through. 

After  starting  out  and  working  my  way  through  the 
snow  about  ten  miles,  I  met  a  colored  man. 

"  By  golly,  master,"  said  he,  "  you  make  road  for  me 
and  1  make  road  for  you." 

It  was  a  little  easier  travelling  after  our  meeting. 
When  I  came  to  a  cabin  late  in  the  afternoon,  I  re 
mained  with  the  owner  over  night ;  but  when  no  friendly 
cabin  was  to  be  found,  I  would  get  under  the  low  hang- 


2Q4  THE   ADVENTURES    OF   A 

ing  boughs  of  some  small  tree,  beneath  which  would  be 
quite  a  space  of  open  ground  with  a  circular  wall  of  snow 
some  three  feet  high,  which  would  make  it  a  very  com 
fortable  place  to  camp  in. 

In  this  way  I  advanced  up  the  river,  with  some  very 
narrow  escapes  where  the  banks  were  steep  and  covered 
with  ice.  At  those  places  had  there  been  one  misstep  I 
would  have  been  launched  into  holes  in  the  river  where 
the  water  was  too  rapid  to  freeze  them  over,  and  there 
would  have  been  no  chance  for  escape,  as  one  would 
have  been  carried  under  the  ice. 

One  afternoon  approaching  a  cabin,  and  finding  no  one 
there  and  the  door  shut,  I  opened  it  and  went  in.  Within 
was  but  a  rudely  constructed  berth  and  a  few  smouldering 
embers  in  the  fireplace,  showing  the  place  to  have  been 
recently  occupied.  I  concluded  to  camp  there  for  the 
night.  The  night  before  there  had  been  about  an  inch 
of  snow,  and  I  noticed  a  track  about  two  feet  wide  on  the 
ground  leading  from  the  door  down  to  the  river  and  along 
over  the  ice  to  a  water  hole  in  the  middle  of  the  river. 
The  strip  showed  something  had  been  drawn  from  the 
cabin  to  the  hole  and  then  dumped  in.  A  man's  tracks 
were  seen  by  the  side  of  this  strip  to  the  hole  and  back 
again.  I  thought  little  about  the  matter  until  after  lying 
down  to  sleep ;  then  while  thinking  over  the  day's  tramp, 
remembered  meeting  a  traveller  not.  many  miles  below 
this  cabin,  who  stopped  and  chatted  with  me,  but  who 
appeared  to  be  excited  and  in  a  hurry  to  get  to  Fort  Yale 
and  from  there  out  of  the  country  as  quickly  as  he  could. 
When  I  had  time  to  deliberate  on  the  matter  and  the 
condition  of  things  at  and  around  the  cabin,  I  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  murder  had  been  committed  in  this 
cabin,  and  the  victim  thrown  into  the  river,  and  the  fel 
low  whom  I  had  met  was  the  man  who  had  committed 
the  crime.  In  the  morning  I  started  early,  wanting  to 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  295 

get  away  from  the  place,  since  if  found  there  by  any  one 
either  going  up  or  down  the  river,  and  it  becoming  known 
that  murder  had  been  committed  at  the  cabin,  how  could 
it  be  proven  that  I  was  not  the  guilty  one  ?  After  travel 
ling  about  three  miles  and  reaching  a  little  camp,  I  told 
the  miners  what  I  had  seen  at  the  cabin.  They  said  that 
two  men  had  camped  at  that  place,  but  took  no  steps  to 
investigate  the  matter. 

I  once  saw  a  man  shot  down  where  the  sum  at  stake  was 
but  the  price  of  a  glass  of  whiskey.  Being  the  only  eye 
witness  to  the  crime,  I  reported  it,  but  was  not  even  called 
to  testify,  and  the  man  who  shot  the  victim  was  allowed  to 
go  scot-free,  and  this  happened  under  the  British  flag. 

The  only  man  that  I  ever  saw  hung  was  hung  for  rob 
bing  a  man  of  a  petty  sixpence.  He  was  convicted  of 
highway  robbery  and  executed.  This  also  took  place 
under  the  British  flag. 

Continuing  my  journey,  I  pushed  on,  and  after  two 
weeks  of  hard  tramping  reached  Bridge  River.  Going 
up  this  stream  about  three  miles  from  where  it  empties 
into  the  Fraser  River,  I  came  to  a  cabin  the  occupant 
of  which  was  one  of  my  old  California  partners.  He 
had  caught  the  fever  and  was  forced  to  start  later  after 
me,  had  taken  another  route  across  the  country  and 
struck  the  river  near  that  point. 

Renewing  our  friendship,  I  camped  with  him  for  a  few 
days,  during  which  he  worked  with  me,  and  we  soon  had 
a  cabin  ready  for  me  to  move  into.  Finding  a  large 
bowlder  which  stood  about  ten  feet  high,  with  one  side 
flat  and  perpendicular,  we  built  the  cabin  against  it,  and 
the  flat  side  answered  the  double  purpose  of  end  wall 
and  fireplace.  The  walls  were  made  about  six  feet  high, 
and  a  few  logs  were  placed  on  top  and  covered  with 
boughs,  making  a  very  good  winter  house,  which  was 
necessary,  as  it  was  very  cold  at  that  time. 


296  THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 

We  tried  to  mine  a  little  by  building  fires  on  the  bars 
of  the  river,  but  could  not  do  much,  since  it  would 
soon  freeze  after  our  fires  went  out. 

Some  three  miles  above  us  was  a  camp  of  Indians. 
They  were  very  short  of  food ;  the  fish  would  not  come 
that  far  up,  since  the  miners  had  contaminated  the  water 
with  their  mining  machines,  and  the  game  had  also  been 
scared  off.  All  that  was  left  the  Indians  for  their  winter 
supply  of  food  were  dry  berries  and  a  few  horses,  which 
they  were  killing  and  eating.  They  frequently  came  up 
to  our  camp  and  begged  for  something  to  eat,  but  we  could 
not  give  them  anything,  since  our  supply  was  very  limited, 
being  on  short  allowance.  Should  I  have  eaten  all  my 
appetite  craved  at  one  meal,  it  would  have  been  as  much  as 
I  allowed  myself  for  a  week's  supply.  We  did  not  know 
how  long  it  would  be  before  supplies  would  reach  that 
locality,  on  account  of  the  large  amount  of  snow  on  the 
ground.  This  tribe  of  Indians  wore  no  clothing  except 
a  little  strip  of  blanket  thrown  over  their  shoulders  and 
a  part  of  their  bodies  ;  their  legs,  feet,  and  arms  were  all 
bare,  men,  women,  and  children.  While  I  could  not  re 
main  outside  of  my  hut  without  freezing  my  fingers  or 
ears,  they  did  not  appear  to  mind  the  cold.  When  they 
saw  me  wash  my  dishes  they  would  drink  the  dishwater, 
to  get  the  little  grease  that  might  be  in  it.  Toward 
spring,  wishing  to  learn  how  soon  we  might  expect  sup 
plies,  one  day  I  started  down  Fraser  River  a  few  miles 
to  a  little  camp,  and  finding  a  man  who  sold  dinners  at 
one  dollar  each,  took  dinner  with  him.  He  set  before 
me  a  pan  with  about  four  quarts  of  boiled  beans  and  two 
or  three  pounds  of  bacon  boiled  with  the  beans,  and  a 
large  loaf  of  bread,  telling  me  to  help  myself.  It  is 
needless  to  say  what  I  ate,  but  the  next  customer  that 
came  along  and  wanted  a  plate  of  boiled  bacon  and 
beans  had  to  wait  until  they  were  stewed.  Having 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  297 

been  about  half  starved  all  winter,  I  could  not  let  such  an 
opportunity  to  feast  on  golden  beans  pass,  as  I  had  let 
pass  many  golden  opportunities  when  golden  nuggets 
seemed  of  far  less  value  than  these  rich  brown,  yellow 
beans,  because  beans  could  be  eaten  and  gold  could  not. 

Miners  are  sometimes  so  situated  they  would  cheer 
fully  exchange  a  pint  of  gold  for  a  pint  of  flour.  At 
a  camp,  where  the  miners  were  snowed  in  in  one  of  the 
northern  camps  of  California,  and  were  without  food,  a 
man  got  to  town  with  one  sack  of  fifty  pounds  of  flour, 
which  was  all  the  flour  there  was  in  camp.  There  was 
plenty  of  gold,  but  nothing  to  eat,  and  this  man  peddled 
his  flour  at  his  own  price,  it  being  said  that  one  man  paid 
three  hundred  dollars  for  one  pint  of  flour.  Five  thou 
sand  dollars  was  realized  on  the  sack  of  flour.  Some  of 
the  miners  protested  against  the  high  price,  but  the  fel 
low  replied  that  flour  was  the  s?me  price  that  it  had  been 
before  the  big  snowfall  that  had  shut  out  supplies,  but 
that  gold  had  declined  in  value,  and  as  it  was  a  matter  of 
life  and  death,  the  miners  had  to  submit. 

When  spring  opened  we  found  Bridge  River  was  not 
the  source  from  whence  the  large  amount  of  gold  came 
that  was  found  scattered  over  so  large  a  tract  of  country 
below.  There  was  some  gold  of  a  coarse  nature  there, 
but  I  knew  by  indications  there  must  be  a  very  rich 
country  somewhere  above,  so  we  started  up  Eraser 
River  again  with  a  couple  of  weeks'  supply  of  rations  on 
our  backs.  We  pushed  on  past  several  miners  who  were 
getting  a  little  coarse  gold,  which  gave  us  courage  to  go 
on  farther,  and  after  a  week's  tramp  we  came  to  a  camp 
of  eight  or  ten  men.  They  told  us  that  four  men  with 
horses,  belonging  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  passed 
through  their  camp  the  day  before  we  arrived,  on  their 
way  to  Fort  Alexander,  and  that  they  wanted  some  of  the 
miners  to  go  along  with  them,  but  no  one  wanted  to  go. 


298  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

We  were  sorry  that  we  had  not  arrived  sooner,  as  that 
was  just  what  we  wanted  to  do,  we  told  them,  as  we 
wanted  to  get  up  as  far  as  we  could  on  the  river. 

They  said  that  they  were  as  far  from  home  as  they 
wanted  to  be,  and  that  the  Indians  up  there  were  bad. 

My  partner  had  not  had  the  experience  among  the 
wild  men  that  I  had,  and  finally  decided  not  to  go  any 
farther  up,  so  I  started  alone.  After  two  days'  march, 
meeting  a  party  returning  who  said  they  could  do  nothing 
farther  up,  they  persuaded  me  to  turn  back,  and  I  re 
turned  to  my  partner.  After  working  a  few  days  with 
him,  but  not  being  satisfied  with  what  we  were  getting, 
one  morning  I  told  him  I  would  make  one  more  attempt 
to  get  farther  up  the  river,  and  started  again  that  day, 
travelling  on  in  high  spirits  and  very  hopeful.  After 
getting  a  little  farther  up  that  time  than  the  first,  I  again 
met  four  or  five  men  on  horseback,  who  said  they  had 
been  several  miles  above  that  point  and  could  find  no 
better  prospects  than  below,  and  they  were  content  to 
leave  the  country  above  to  the  Indians. 

Again  I  returned  to  my  late  camp,  and,  after  a  day  of 
consideration,  replenished  my  stock  of  supplies,  bought 
a  rifle,  thinking  that  if  short  of  provisions  I  might  shoot 
something  to  help  me  through,  and  started  once  more 
alone  and  pushed  on  over  the  trail  which  I  had  so  re 
peatedly  passed  over  within  the  last  two  weeks.  I  passed 
by  all  my  previous  marks  and  through  a  few  Indian 
camps,  whose  inhabitants  had  nothing  to  say  to  me. 
I  found  that  with  now  and  then  a  little  snow,  and  occa 
sionally  a  hot  day,  the  trail  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Com 
pany's  men  had  made  was  in  some  places  quite  obliterated. 
Below  on  the  river  I  had  found  some  bare  ground,  but 
now  there  was  perpetual  snow.  I  could  not  make  much 
progress  through  the  deep  snow,  and  there  were  but  few 
signs  of  the  old  trail,  which  seemed  but  a  little  depres- 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR- OLD    LAD.  299 

sion  in  the  large  fields  of  snow.  After  a  couple  of  days 
of  hard  tramping,  and  camping  where  night  overtook 
me,  I  concluded  fate  was  against  me,  although  I  could 
see  that  golden  glitter  ahead  in  the  distance  which  is  so 
fascinating  to  all  miners,  and  it  was  beckoning  me  on  a 
little  farther.  But  my  desire  outlived  my  powers  of  en 
durance,  and  it  was  next  to  impossible  for  me  to  advance. 
I  thought  that  if  there  was  gold  before  me  it  was  not 
for.  me,  and  would  have  to  remain  until  time  and  coming 
generations  should  bring  it  to  light  of  day.  I  turned 
again  for  the  third  and  last  time,  and  slowly  and  sadly 
retraced  my  steps,  arriving  at  the  old  camp  and  finding 
my  late  partner. 

We  then  journeyed  down  the  river  a  few  miles,  and 
got  hold  of  an  old  rocker,  and  went  to  work  on  a  little 
bar,  where  we  worked  one  month  and  took  out  eight  hun 
dred  dollars.  Then  I  told  my  partner  that  he  might  have 
the  claim  and  tools  if  he  chose  to  remain,  as  I  was  going 
home,  thinking  I  had  money  enough  to  carry  me ;  and  he 
accepted  my  offer  and  remained. 

Having  no  shoes  that  would  do  to  tramp  in  over  a 
rough  country  two  or  three  hundred  miles,  I  got  an  old 
saddle  flap  and  the  top  of  an  old  boot  leg,  and  made 
myself  a  pair  of  boots,  hewing  out  a  last  with  an  axe, 
and  with  a  table  fork  and  case  knife  completed  the  job 
in  about  half  a  day.  These  shoes  were  worn  three  hun 
dred  miles  and  were  then  good  for  as  much  more  wear, 
but  I  threw  them  away,  being  in  a  civilized  country  and 
ashamed  of  my  big  feet. 

The  day  after  completing  the  shoes  I  started  down 
the  stream  with  a  limited  supply  of  food,  and  after 
being  a  few  days  on  the  road  found  myself  com 
pletely  out,  and  a  long  way  from  where  more  could  be 
procured.  One  morning,  after  eating  my  last  small  sand 
wich,  I  pushed  on  at  a  rapid  rate  on  a  trail  leading  several 


300 


THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A 


miles  through  a  deep  forest,  which  cut  off  bad  canyons 
on  the  banks  of  the  river.  Towards  sundown  arriving 
at  a  camp  which  had  been  used  the  night  before,  there 
still  remaining  a  little  fire  and,  scattered  about,  a  lot  of 
dough  that  had  been  half  boiled,  I  decided  to  occupy  the 
camp  that  night.  The  dough  was  soon  gathered  up  and 
in  the  ashes  roasting.  A  ham  bone  was  also  found  that 
had  a  little  meat  on  it  and  a  large  amount  of  gristle,  and 
when  my  bread  was  baked  I  sat  down  to  my  frugal  re- 


r  V~- 

>r(H 

^<%tl 

^JU»<^3I 

^^/^^iP 
^   &,rr^& 


GNAWING  A  BONE  UP  IN  BRITISH  COLUMBIA. 

past.  I  ate  my  bread  and  gnawed  that  bone  as  faithfully 
as  ever  dog  gnawed  bone,  laying  it  carefully  aside,  lest  I 
might  feel  like  trying  it  again  in  the  morning.  Retiring 
soon  after,  I  rested  well,  and  dreamt  of  the  children  of 
Israel  in  the  wilderness  being  fed  with  manna.  In  the 
morning,  early  astir,  there  was  nothing  for  breakfast  but 
the  bone  of  the  previous  evening,  so  I  gnawed  it  for  half 
an  hour,  then  laid  it  where  it  could  easily  be  seen  by 
any  one  who  might  come  after  me. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  30 1 

That  day  I  arrived  where  there  was  plenty  to  eat,  at  a 
little  store  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  Having  had 
nothing  sweet  for  several  months,  I  began  to  crave  it, 
and,  finding  the  storekeeper  had  a  keg  of  molasses  on 
tap,  I  bought  a  pint,  paying  three  dollars  for  it,  and  sat 
down  and  ate  the  pint  without  potatoes  or  hard  bread,  as 
I  used  to  dine  on  in  Australia. 

I  once  heard  of  a  case  similar  to  my  own  in  this 
line.  When  our  government  had  surveyors  working 
across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  ascertain  if  it  was  possi 
ble  to  build  a  canal,  the  men  had  cut  their  way  through 
the  brush  and  lived  mostly  on  bitter  nuts.  When  they 
got  through  down  to  a  station,  the  first  thing  they 
wanted  was  molasses ;  a  bottle  was  given  them  and  they 
emptied  it,  probably  as  quickly  as  I  did  the  vessel  which 
contained  my  pint. 

After  resting  a  few  hours,  I  pushed  on  again,  reaching 
Fort  Yale  in  due  time.  From  Fort  Yale  I  went  to  Fort 
Hope,  and  there  took  the  steamer  for  Victoria,  and  at  the 
latter  place  booked  for  San  Francisco,  where  we  arrived 
in  a  few  days. 

After  one  week's  stay  in  Frisco  I  took  passage  for  New 
York,  at  which  place  we  arrived  in  about  four  weeks  with 
out  mishap.  From  New  York  I  returned  to  Boston 
again,  with  about  one  hundred  dollars  in  hand. 

I  visited  around  a  little,  and  spent  some  money, 
not  wanting  my  friends  to  know  just  how  I  stood 
financially.  After  buying  a  new  outfit  of  store  clothing, 
there  was  not  much  money  left,  so  I  began  to  look  around 
for  employment  ;  but  being  unsuccessful,  I  told  my 
friends  one  day  that  I  was  going  back  to  California  again, 
ostensibly  to  look  after  some  valuable  mining  claim  left 
behind  that  was  liable  to  be  jumped  if  I  did  not  return 
and  look  after  it.  The  real  object  of  my  departure  in 
such  haste  was  to  get  to  New  York  while  there  was 


3O2  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

money  enough  .left  to  get  there.  I  did  not  have  money 
enough  to  get  to  California,  but  thought  that  if  I  could 
get  to  New  York  I  might  get  a  chance  to  work  my  way  to 
California.  On  my  arrival  in  New  York  I  went  direct  to 
the  steamers  that  plied  between  New  York  and  Aspinwall, 
and  applied  for  a  chance  to  work  my  passage  to  Aspinwall, 
but  found  they  had  all  the  crew  needed,  and  there  was  no 
chance  for  me  without  about  one  hundred  dollars  to  pay 
over  to  the  captain  as  hush  money  or  passage  money. 

Roaming  around  the  city  the  rest  of  the  day,  and  hav 
ing  but  little  money  left,  I  bought  some  bread  and  cheese 
and  ate  it  on  the  street.  About  sundown  finding  myself 
in  front  of  a  hotel,  without  observing  whether  it  was  a 
palatial  or  modest  structure,  I  entered  it  at  once,  not 
intending  to  beat  the  hotel,  as  in  Lowell,  for  I  had  money 
enough  to  pay  for  my  lodging.  It  has  ever  been  my  rule 
to  pay  as  I  went  along  when  having  money,  but  when 
without  money  to  do  the  next  best  thing. 

On  entering  this  hotel  I  approached  the  clerk  and 
asked  for  a  bed  for  the  night.  He  asked  how  high 
priced  I  wanted  to  go.  I  replied  not  very  high,  as  my 
means  were  limited. 

He  started  with  me  at  once,  and  after  we  had  arrived 
at  our  destination  I  thought  he  must  have  misunderstood 
me,  believing  I  wanted  to  go  very  high,  since  he  had 
taken  me  so  painfully  near  heaven  that  the  stars  were 
plainly  to  be  seen  twinkling  through  the  skylight.  I  did 
not  complain  however,  thinking  that  if  I  was  low  in 
pocket,  they  had  given  me  the  highest  berth  in  the  estab 
lishment,  from  which  I  could  look  down  on  millionnaires, 
feeling  myself  elevated  above  them. 

Early  the  following  day  I  started  for  the  steamer  that 
would  take  me  to  Fall  River,  soon  being  on  my  way  to 
the  Hub  again,  where  I  arrived  Sunday  morning  with  but 
seventy-five  cents  in  my  wallet. 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  303 

Not  wishing  to  see  any  of  my  friends  just  then,  I 
hunted  for  a  sailors'  boarding-house,  and  came  across  a 
building  said  to  be  the  Sailors'  Home.  Entering  I  told 
the  man  in  charge  that  I  was  comparatively  a  stranger  in 
the  city  and  wanted  to  stop  there  until  the  next  morn 
ing. 

He  replied  that  they  did  not  make  a  practice  of  taking 
people  in  that  way,  but  as  I  was  a  stranger  they  would 
accommodate  me. 

I  expected  to  renew  my  acquaintance  at  that  place  with 
that  well-remembered  ancient  stew,  but  found  the  sailors 
who  were  domiciled  at  that  institution  had  left  that  savory 
dish  far  behind. 

On  Monday  morning  I  partook  of  a  hasty  breakfast  of 
regular  old-fashioned  boarding-house  hash,  and  paid  my 
bill,  which  took  my  last  cent. 

I  was  now  in  Boston  again,  no  better  off  financially 
than  when  leaving  seventeen  years  before ;  all  I  had 
gained  was  a  little  knowledge  of  this  wicked  world.  I 
had  thrown  away  many  fortunes  or  let  them  slip  from  my 
grasp,  and  now  came  regrets  when  too  late.  Realizing 
that  it  would  not  help  matters  to  cry  over  spilt  milk,  and 
having  gotten  out  of  many  a  tight  place  before,  I  did  not 
despair.  Having  an  uncle  at  that  time  in  Charlestown,  I 
started  out  and  had  the  good  fortune  of  finding  him,  and 
stated  my  case  to  him.  He  directed  me  where  he 
thought  work  could  be  found,  and  on  going  to  the  place  I 
secured  a  job  before  noon  that  day  at  the  munificent 
salary  of  one  dollar  a  day. 

I  was  as  contented  with  my  pay  as  when  getting  one 
hundred  dollars  a  day,  and  worked  for  three  weeks  be 
fore  letting  my  friends  know  of  my  return,  and  when 
informed  my  welfare  appeared  to  be  a  matter  of  indiffer 
ence  to  them.  Perhaps,  as  I  had  been  absent  from  home 
so  much  of  my  life,  I  appeared  more  like  a  stranger  to 


304  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

them  than  a  relative.  I  felt  that  they  were  strangers  to 
me,  and  I  was  at  work  with  strangers,  but  soon  got 
acquainted,  and  worked  at  a  dollar  a  day  for  about  a 
year,  when,  getting  better  acquainted  with  my  work,  I  got 
more  wages,  and  so  continued  until  I  received  four  dollars 
a  day.  Soon  after  that  I  went  into  business  for  myself, 
succeeding  well  for  a  while.  I  met  with  a  few  quite 
heavy  losses,  but  that  did  not  discourage  me;  I  worked 
the  harder  to  make  it  up.  By  hard  work  and  practising 
economy  I  have  managed,  after  thirty  years,  to  lay  up 
enough  which  with  care  may  carry  me  through. 

A  few  years  after  my  return  from  British  Columbia  I 
met  a  man  who  was  there  when  I  left,  and  he  reported 
that  two  years  after  my  leaving  the  country  a  party  man 
aged  to  get  up  to  the  head  waters  of  Fraser  River  and 
struck  on  to  Williams  Creek.  They  found  gold  so 
rich  that  two  men  panned  out  sixty  thousand  dollars  in 
one  day.  The  place  is  now  known  all  over  the  world  as 
the  Caribou  Mines.  I  can  but  vainly  imagine  what 
might  have  been  if  I  had  reached  that  creek  two  years  in 
advance  of  all  others,  as  I  tried  to  do  on  three  succes 
sive  occasions.  , 

Had  I  discovered  the  gold,  which  undoubtedly  would 
have  made  a  large  nugget,  I  could  have  used  but  a  por 
tion,  and  the  balance  would  have  been  left  for  others  to 
quarrel  over  after  my  death,  therefore  I  think  myself  as 
well,  if  not  better  off  than  I  would  have  been  had  I  been 
successful  in  discovering  the  new  mine. 

Although  my  experience  at  mining  is  of  no  practical 
use  to  me  now,  it  may  be  to  others  who  may  desire  to 
seek  fortunes  at  mining,  as  there  is  yet  plenty  of  the 
yellow  metal  awaiting  the  miner's  pick  to  bring  it  to  view. 

Of  course  I  would  not  advise  would-be  miners  to  go 
to  the  rich  parts  that  I  visited,  thinking  to  find  them  so 
still,  since  a  great  change  has  taken  place.  They  would 


SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD    LAD.  305 

find  the  ground  in  a  worse  condition  than  it  would  be  if 
ten  thousand  swine  to  the  acre  had  been  penned  there, 
but  there  is  plenty  of  unexplored  ground  as  yet  on  this 
continent.  If  we  can  ever  have  the  opportunity  to  ex 
plore  Old  Mexico,  and  from  there  on  south,  I  believe  we 
will  find  that  what  the  people  in  those  countries  have 
found  will  prove  but  a  drop  in  the  bucket  to  what  re 
mains. 

My  experience  having  been  in  placer  mining  more 
than  quartz  mining,  my  remarks  apply  specially  to  that 
kind.  It  makes  but  little  difference  to  the  placer  miner 
where  the  gold  comes  from ;  all  that  he  needs  to 
know  is  where  to  find  it,  and  where  to  drive  his  stakes 
for  the  first  choice,  thereby  saving  much  valuable  time. 
Had  I  known  where  to  drive  my  stakes  when  first  going 
to  mining  in  California,  I  would  have  soon  been  rich,  had 
I  kept  at  it. 

It  is  this  information  I  wish  to  give  to  others,  since  I 
believe  there  is  yet  plenty  of  virgin  ground  undiscovered, 
which  will  sooner  or  later  be  found  and  worked.  It 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  all  placer  gold  is  the  de 
posit  from  quartz  gold  that  has  been  disturbed  by  the 
action  of  the  elements,  and  after  the  veins  have  been 
broken  much  of  the  gold  is  liberated,  falling  to  the  ground 
to  be  moved  by  the  action  of  the  water,  while  its  own 
gravitation  helps  it  along.  It  is  the  water  and  the  gold's 
own  weight  that  have  all  to  do  with  the  forming  of  placer 
mines.  Therefore,  in  order  to  find  gold  liberated  from 
the  mother  lode,  we  must  study  the  nature  of  the  ground 
and  note  the  peculiar  appearance  of  the  water  in  differ 
ent  streams,  also  examine  the  bends  and  turns,  the  falls 
and  long  stretches  of  comparatively  still  water,  and  places 
where  it  moves  slowly.  All  these  should  be  carefully 
looked  over,  since  they  all  tend  to  form  either  eddies  or 
bars,  thereby  giving  the  gold  a  chance  to  settle.  On  the 


306  THE    ADVENTURES    OF   A 

inner  side  of  an  elbow  in  the  river  will  be  found  a  bar 
which  may  show  an  eddy ;  and  if  gravel  and  pebbles  have 
settled  at  that  point,  gold  may  also  have  settled  there. 
A  stretch  of  still  water  is  oftentimes  proof  that  heavy 
bodies  settle  along  the  banks  and  river  bed  ;  and  also 
where  the  country  rock  is  slate  the  same  tendency  is 
shown.  This, rock  will  often  run  across  streams  making 
rifts  in  which  gold  will  lodge  and  remain  until  removed 
by  some  force  of  the  elements,  or  dug  out  by  the  miners. 
Where  clay  is  found  in  the  beds  of  streams  there  gold  is 
likely  to  be  found,  since  clay  holds  the  gold.  The  miner 
should  look  for  all  eddies  and  all  other  places  where,  in 
his  judgment,  the  water  would  lose  its  force  on  any  ma 
terial  which  it  was  carrying  along,  and  should  drive  his 
stake  covering  all  such  places. 

Experience  teaches  me  that  nine  times  in  ten  the 
miner  will  strike  the  richest  spots  in  the  stream,  let  it  be 
river,  creek,  or  gulch,  if  experienced  in  the  business. 
Gold  moves  a  good  deal  faster  when  there  is  a  freshet,  as 
it  is  carried  by  the  force  of  the  current.  In  such  cases 
the  streams  are  swollen  much  over  their  banks,  and  much 
gold  is  carried  high  up  out  of  reach  of  the  current  and 
soon  becomes  buried  several  inches  under  the  sand.  The 
force  of  the  water  being  less  high  up  than  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream,  much  gold  is  found  quite  high  on  the 
banks.  Again,  streams  are  constantly  wearing  down  and 
the  rivers  frequently  change  their  courses  on  account  of 
being  blocked  by  landslides,  which  often  occur  in  coun 
tries  where  there  is  a  large  fall  of  rain  in  winter  instead 
of  snow.  The  tenderfoot,  as  beginners  are  called,  needs 
to  be  very  careful  when  sinking  his  shaft,  and  upon  near- 
ing  the  bottom  should  try  his  dirt  often  with  his  wash- 
pan.  He  can  always  tell  when  near  bed  rock,  finding 
considerable  clay  mixed  with  the  gravel,  a  good  many 
pebbles  and  much  stain  of  different  colors.  If  in  the 


SEVENTEEN- YEAR-OLD    LAD.  307 

vicinity  of  gold  he  will  almost  invariably  find  black  sand, 
which  is  little  else  than  magnetic  iron,  which  appears  to 
be  closely  associated  with  gold  found  in  placers.  In 
both  California  and  Australia  I  have  seen  large  amounts 
of  gold  thrown  out  of  a  shaft  and  not  discovered  until 
after  a  rain,  which  would  wash  the  gold  out  of  the  dirt, 
when  it  would  be  seen  in  plenty.  When  one  gets  a  shaft 
down  to  bed  rock,  if  it  is  found  hard  and  quite  smooth, 
not  much  gold  will  be  found  if  any.  But  if  the  bed 
is  soft  and  rotten,  as  it  often  is,  gold  is  likely  to  be  found, 
from  the  fact  that  there  is  something  to  hold  it.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  that  all  of  the  gold  found  in  placers  is 
dependent  on  chance  whether  it  remains  at  rest  at  any 
one  place  for  any  length  of  time.  If  the  miner  happens 
to  strike  it  when  at  rest,  he  gets  it ;  if  not,  it  will  take  up 
its  line  of  march  again,  with  occasionally  a  rest  which 
may  in  some  cases  continue  for  many  ages  before  the 
conditions  are  favorable  for  it  to  move  again.  Gold  will 
wear  away  quite  fast  when  travelling,  and  is  often  beaten 
as  with  a  hammer  by  the  stones  that  are  tumbled  around 
by  the  water.  It  continues  to  wear,  travel,  and  rest  until 
reduced  to  particles,  and  finally  passes  into  the  ocean 
unless  reclaimed  by  man  snatching  it  from  the  destroying 
grasp  of  the  elements. 

Undoubtedly  there  are  many  places  in  the  bed  of  the 
ocean  that  would  pay  well  in  gold  if  it  were  known  where 
they  were  located ;  the  sands  and  gravel  could  be  dredged 
and  brought  to  the  surface. 

Miners  have  been  known  to  make  good  pay  at  washing 
the  sand  on  the  sea  beach  between  California  and  Oregon. 
The  gold,  shifting  with  every  tide,  would  be  found  at 
some  new  locality  on  the  beach  at  the  next  tide.  If  the 
miner  or  the  man  who  is  hunting  for  gold  in  the  placers 
will  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  water  and  specific  gravity 
are  the  forces  that  make  all  gold  deposits  'in  the  placer 


308    ADVENTURES  OF  A  SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD  LAD. 

regions,  he  will  succeed  in  finding  the  yellow  metal  with 
out  much  trouble. 

In  conclusion,  it  has  been  one  of  the  hardest  tasks  of 
my  life  to  recount  my  gold  experience,  since  it  has  car 
ried  me  back  to  those  old  haunts,  and  vividly  restored 
many  familiar  marks  known  so  long  ago.  I  have  seemed 
to  see  the  rich  gold  claims  yet  before  me..  It  has  caused 
me  to  wish  to  fly  back  to  that  time,  so  full  of  opportu 
nities,  again,  as  I  can  now  better  appreciate  them  than 
when  they  were  within  my  very  grasp.  But  I  then  held 
riches  lightly,  casting  aside  many  rare  chances,  passing 
them  by  only  to  mourn  their  loss  at  this  late  day,  when 
they  should  have  long  been  forgotten.  Had  I  received 
an  early  education  I  would  have  properly  valued  these 
opportunities.  While  the  results  of  my  experience  can 
be  endured,  no  period  of  time  can  be  long  enough  for 
me  to  forget  what  might  have  been. 


THE    END. 


